Mecca Joint Defense Agreement could have turning point for Middle  East

ArmInfo. The joint defense agreement signed yesterday by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan following the trilateral summit in Mecca, known as the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement," could have a turning point for the Middle East.

This opinion was expressed on his Facebook page by Artak Zakaryan, a  member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). He recalled that,  according to the agreement, an armed attack on any of the three  countries will be considered an attack on all parties to the  agreement. "Its primary goal is to strengthen deterrence and  collective capabilities, as well as counter potential aggression.  This involves cooperation between the three countries 'in all areas'  in security and defense. Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO.  Saudi Arabia is the richest state in the Persian Gulf, home to  Islam's holy sites, and one of the largest oil exporters. And  Pakistan is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons," Zakarian  noted.

The politician believes that, following recent military and political  events in the Middle East, the three countries are particularly  concerned about the increasingly aggressive and consistent policies  of both Israel and Iran. "Each of the three countries, given their  own ambitious interests, growing regional opposition to them, their  Muslim community, and the vectors of change in the global order, has  come to the need for joint defense. Furthermore, they have realized  that simply being a US ally is not enough to ensure comprehensive  security," the RPA member explained.

He recalled that negotiations on creating an alliance, which could  also be called an "Islamic NATO," have been ongoing since the end of  last year. Zakarian noted that the agreement's wording is practically  NATO- like, but the mechanism for its implementation remains unclear.  "It's unclear what kind of military assistance the allies will be  obligated to provide to each other, who will assess the threat level  against each member, and who will decide on the need for joint  action. It's also noteworthy that for Ankara, this new treaty doesn't  cancel the obligations it has assumed as a NATO member. Moreover,  Turkey states that the agreement is open to countries in the region.  This means that the 'Islamic NATO' has the desire and potential to  expand in the Middle East. It wouldn't be surprising if we see  Azerbaijan there next, and subsequently, the countries of Central  Asia," Zakarian noted.

According to him, it's not yet clear whose geopolitical initiative  among global players this alliance is, what its long-term goals are,  who they intend to arm themselves against, and what regional  interests each member pursues. "It's difficult to say yet-all of this  requires in-depth analysis. But the fact that the signed alliance is  another turning point for the Middle East, in my opinion, is  undeniable," the politician concluded.