Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is not directed against Iran, Israel or any other country, stressing that the pact is intended to strengthen regional security, deterrence and stability.
Speaking in an interview with Newsweek magazine, Erdogan rejected suggestions that the agreement should be viewed as an alliance aimed at countering Iran or Israel independently of US security guarantees.
“It would not be accurate to view the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement as an alliance formed against Iran, Israel, or any third country. This agreement reflects our shared responsibility to build a more secure, peaceful, and prosperous future,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish president said Ankara has long advocated for regional countries to take greater responsibility for resolving issues affecting the region.
“We want to consolidate our security, bolster our deterrence, and reinforce lasting stability across our region,” he said.
Erdogan said the agreement is based on the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be considered an attack on all parties.
He said the nature of any response would depend on the request and needs of the country targeted.
“This support may encompass intelligence, logistics, or ammunition, while more extensive military support could also come onto the agenda depending on the scale of the threat,” Erdogan said.
He added that relevant political and military mechanisms would determine how such measures would be implemented, cautioning against assuming that the agreement would automatically trigger Turkish military intervention in the event of an attack.
“Therefore, it would not be right to draft an automatic military scenario in advance for every possible incident in Iraq, Yemen, or elsewhere,” he said.
Türkiye can engage with all sides
Erdogan also highlighted Türkiye’s diplomatic role in regional and international conflicts, saying Ankara remains capable of maintaining dialogue with different sides.
“From the Russia-Ukraine war to tensions across the Middle East, Türkiye is a nation capable of engaging with all parties to conflicts and taking the initiative for peace,” he said.
Addressing relations with Israel, Erdoğan criticised what he described as an emerging narrative portraying Türkiye as a threat.
“A misguided narrative has recently been stoked in Israel that seeks to portray Türkiye as an emerging source of threat,” Erdoğan said.
“We assess this rhetoric to be tied to Israel's domestic political processes and the current election climate. We do not regard such discourse as a responsible approach that contributes to regional peace.”
Syria's stability
Erdogan also stressed the importance of stability and unity in Syria, saying developments there would have broader consequences for the region.
“Stability in Syria will contribute to the peace and development of our entire region, including Israel,” he said.
Erdogan said integrating all armed elements under a centralised state structure was essential to strengthening Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and social unity.
“We support this process advancing on the basis of equal citizenship, fostering an order in which all Syrian people—including the Kurds—feel safer, freer, and more prosperous,” he said.
“As Syria's unity grows stronger, so too will our region's security.”
Developments in Iran
Erdogan said Türkiye was also closely following developments in neighbouring Iran, including what he described as attempts by the PKK/PJAK terror group to exploit the situation in the country.
“We are also closely monitoring PKK/PJAK attempts to exploit conditions arising from developments in Iran. Iran's domestic issues must be resolved by the Iranian people themselves, free from external interference,” he said.
Erdogan stressed that Türkiye's approach to regional security was not based on ethnicity.
“Türkiye's benchmark is never ethnic identity; it is terrorism, violence, and threats targeting our national security,” he said.
“We believe that no community across our region should ever be permitted to serve as an instrument in the proxy wars of third countries.”
