Speaking after the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a new structure for regional security and cooperation was being put into operation. Fidan said concrete steps to implement the agreement had been decided at the meeting.
In addition to Fidan, the meeting at Çırağan Palace was attended by National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu. Pakistan's delegation included Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. Saudi Arabia was represented by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of the General Staff General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
A secretariat is planned for Riyadh
Fidan announced that institutionalization efforts to implement the agreement had begun and that the structure's official name had been set as the Mecca Defense Alliance. He said preliminary decisions had been made on which steps would be taken and when as part of the institutionalization process.
Fidan said the alliance's secretariat was expected to be established in Riyadh and that an agreement had been reached for the first secretary-general to be Pakistani. He also said the alliance was open to the participation of other countries and that consultations needed to be held with candidate and current member states on membership requirements, procedures and standards.
Fidan noted that the alliance was intended to expand, but stressed that the foundations laid during its establishment and its institutional structure had to be completed on a solid footing.
Principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity
Fidan said the Mecca Defense Alliance was based on respect for states' sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the principle of noninterference in internal affairs. Saying that the structure was not directed against any state, Fidan said regional countries that adhered to these principles could join the alliance.
Fidan said Türkiye's obligations arising from NATO and other alliances would not be assumed by the Mecca Defense Alliance, adding that the new structure was complementary to existing alliances. He also noted that Türkiye would continue cooperating with friendly countries, particularly Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Fidan said it was an urgent need for countries in the region to act together for security, stability, prosperity and lasting peace, adding that regional security problems had global effects. He said respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and security would strengthen an environment of trust.
Fidan said that if these principles were sincerely pledged, 85-90% of the problems in the region should be resolved. He said that if stability and security were established, the peoples of the region could benefit more from existing resources for prosperity and development.
Criticism of the Netanyahu government
Responding to an assessment that the Israeli government views Türkiye as a strategic threat, Fidan said they were following the rhetoric of Benjamin Netanyahu's government targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and some Turkish officials.
Fidan argued that the Netanyahu administration did not want the State of Palestine to be established or the occupation in the region to end, saying that this approach threatened regional and international security. Fidan said the international community needed to assume responsibility in response to this threat.
Search for a new arrangement for grain shipments in the Black Sea
Responding to a question about the endangerment of navigational safety in the Black Sea and commercial vessels being targeted, Fidan said the developments were not limited to Black Sea security and also constituted a serious problem for global food security.
Fidan said they were in contact with both sides to resolve problems affecting the shipment of grain products from Russia and Ukraine that needed to reach world markets. He said they were working on a new arrangement similar to the Grain Deal if the conditions were met.
Fidan also said the Russia-Ukraine war had turned from a war of attrition into a war of destruction. He noted that efforts were continuing to reduce the damage the sides were inflicting on each other and on the region.
At the beginning of his remarks, Fidan offered his condolences for those who died when a passenger ship capsized off the coast of Kyrenia Port in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
