PAKISTAN, SAUDI ARABIA AND TURKEY SEEK REGIONAL DEFENCE PACT AMID FEARS OF ISRAELI DOMINATION

Sun 18 January 2026:

As Israel expands its bombing campaign across the Middle East, three regional powers, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are preparing to finalise a landmark defence agreement aimed at enhancing collective security in a region increasingly destabilised by Israeli aggression and Western-backed militarism.

The trilateral agreement, which has been in development for nearly a year, signals a potential shift in the regional security landscape. “The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkey trilateral agreement is something that is already in pipeline,” Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production, Raza Hayat Harraj, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. “The draft agreement is already available with us. The draft agreement is already with Saudi Arabia. The draft agreement is already available with Turkey. And all three countries are deliberating. And this agreement has been there for the last 10 months.”

Harraj clarified that the pact is separate from an earlier bilateral Saudi-Pakistani accord and remains contingent on final consensus between the three states.

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The timing of the announcement is significant. Over the past year, Israel has widened its assault on Gaza into a broader regional campaign of airstrikes against Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. Critics argue that these attacks are not isolated acts of retaliation, but rather part of a broader strategy to cement Israel’s regional hegemony.

In this context, the emerging pact between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia is seen as attempt to counter what many see as a system of impunity afforded to Israel by the US and its allies. The agreement also reflects growing frustration with the failure of existing multilateral security institutions to prevent the unfolding genocide in Gaza.

At a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed that discussions had taken place, although no formal agreement had yet been signed. “At the moment, there are meetings, talks, but we have not signed any agreement,” Fidan said.

“Cracks and problems among us lead to external hegemonies, wars and instability,” Fidan warned. “At the end of all of these, we have a proposal like this: all regional nations must come together to create a cooperation platform on the issue of security.” He stressed that regional conflicts could be resolved “if relevant countries would be sure of each other.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan added, envisions a broader, more inclusive platform to address regional insecurity, one grounded in trust and collective agency, not foreign interference.

Alongside the trilateral initiative, Saudi Arabia is also finalising a second military coalition—this time with Egypt and Somalia—marking a broader regional recalibration in response not only to Israeli aggression but also to rising Emirati influence across Africa and the Red Sea.

Bloomberg reports that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is due to travel to Riyadh to finalise the deal, which is expected to include deeper military cooperation and coordination on Red Sea security. The development follows Somalia’s decision this week to cancel existing port and security agreements with the UAE, citing violations of its sovereignty, including the illegal extraction of a Yemeni separatist leader through Somali territory.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have escalated in recent months, particularly after Riyadh demanded the withdrawal of Emirati troops from Yemen. The kingdom views the UAE’s growing presence in Libya, Sudan and the Horn of Africa as a challenge to its regional leadership. While Saudi Arabia has historically supported Somalia’s territorial integrity, this marks the first time it is seeking to directly strengthen the East African nation’s military capabilities.

The Saudi-Egypt-Somalia pact also aligns with recent joint condemnation of Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland, the breakaway state in northern Somalia. Israel’s move, widely seen as part of its Red Sea strategy, was swiftly rejected by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), led by Saudi Arabia, which described it as “a direct threat to the peace and security of the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.”

-MEMO

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