Turkey is seeking to join a mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a move that could reshape regional security ties across South Asia and the Middle East, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Talks are at an advanced stage and a deal is considered likely, according to the report. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in Riyadh in September last year, pledging that any attack on either country would be treated as an act of aggression against both.
Bloomberg said Turkey views potential entry into the pact as a way to strengthen deterrence at a time when questions have emerged over the reliability of the United States, which maintains strong military ties with all three countries, and President Donald Trump’s commitment to Nato, reports Dawn.
The report said Turkey’s interests increasingly overlap with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, making an expanded alliance strategically attractive.
Saudi Arabia’s financial strength, Pakistan’s nuclear capability, ballistic missiles and manpower, and Turkey’s military experience and developed defence industry would form complementary pillars of the alliance, according to Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at the Ankara-based think tank TEPAV.
Ozcan said shifting regional dynamics, combined with the United States prioritising its own interests and those of Israel, are prompting countries to reassess alliances and develop new security mechanisms.
Turkey’s defence ministry and information ministry declined to comment on the report, while Saudi authorities were not immediately available to respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.
Bloomberg said Turkey’s entry would signal a new phase in relations with Saudi Arabia after years of strained ties. The countries are now expanding economic and defence cooperation and held their first-ever naval meeting in Ankara this week, according to Turkey’s defence ministry.
The report noted that Riyadh and Ankara share long-standing concerns about Iran, favouring engagement rather than direct confrontation.
Turkey already has deepening defence ties with Pakistan, including the construction of corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy and upgrades to the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 fighter jet fleet. Bloomberg said Turkey is also sharing drone technology with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and is seeking their participation in its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet programme.
The trilateral defence discussions follow a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May that ended a four-day military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours, the report said. It also cited Pakistan’s tensions with Afghanistan after border clashes, alongside unsuccessful mediation efforts by Turkey and Qatar.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long maintained close military and economic relations, with Riyadh providing financial assistance and energy supplies to Islamabad. Defence cooperation is also a cornerstone of Pakistan’s relationship with Turkey.
According to the 2023 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report, Turkey is Pakistan’s second-largest arms supplier, accounting for 11 per cent of Islamabad’s total arms imports. Joint projects such as Milgem warships, aircraft modernisation and drone acquisitions have significantly expanded defence collaboration.
