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Pakistan has indicated that Türkiye and Qatar may join its mutual defense cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia as the U.S.-Iran war reshapes security alignments in the Middle East and South Asia, Bloomberg reported.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Monday night on a local television program that the arrangement is currently in the process of being finalized.
“If Qatar and Turkey also join this existing agreement, it will be a welcome development,” Asif said, referring to Türkiye.
The initiative aims to build a broader platform of cooperation among “like-minded” states to strengthen regional stability and collective security, the minister said.
An expanded alliance would bring together Saudi Arabia and Türkiye at a time when the U.S.-Iran war has pulled the wider Middle East into the conflict, Bloomberg reported.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the defense pact in September, stating that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
Pakistan is also the key mediator for talks between the U.S. and Iran.
The two countries have held several meetings since Iran began retaliatory attacks against its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
Last month, a Pakistani military force arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia to enhance joint military cooperation, supporting security and stability in the region.
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