Turkey in 'advanced talks' to join Saudi Arabia and Pakistan defence pact: Report
Turkey is lobbying to join a defence pact between Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan, a potential move that could create a new military bloc in the Middle East amid rising tensions in the Gulf and Iran.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that the talks between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are at an “advanced stage and a deal is very likely”, citing people familiar with the matter.
In a sign that Islamabad is becoming more entwined with Ankara and Riyadh, Reuters reported on Friday that Pakistan is on the cusp of sealing a $1.5bn arms deal with Sudan’s army, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which are fighting against the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary.
Pakistan is expected to sell Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's military 10 Karakorum-8 light-attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air-defence systems, Reuters reported.
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Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal, told Reuters that the sale was a "done deal" and could also include JF-17 warplanes.
If Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia sign a trilateral defence pact, it would link three of the region’s largest countries, each with unique advantages.
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is the Arab world’s only G-20 economy and home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
Pakistan is the Muslim-world’s only nuclear-armed state.
Turkey, which straddles Asia and Europe, boosts Nato’s second-largest army.
Both Islamabad and Ankara are emerging as major weapons manufacturers and exporters.
Turkey has supplied drones to Ukraine to use against Russia. Turkey has emerged as the main military backer of Syria and also has troops stationed in Libya.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is trying to parlay its military know-how into economic gain. In December, it inked a $4bn deal to sell military equipment, including 16 JF-17 warplanes, to General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army.
Reuters reported earlier this week that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in negotiations to convert about $2bn in Saudi loans into a deal to buy the JF-17s, warplanes jointly produced by China and Pakistan.
Alliances in region
Pakistan is historically close to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Both the latter countries have not always seen eye-to-eye.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed popular protests following the Arab Spring that Riyadh saw as a threat to its monarchical system of governance.
A decade ago, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joined forces to battle Turkey in Libya. They also supported Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general whom Erdogan once denounced.
But the region’s alliances have whipsawed. Erdogan and Sisi are moving closer amid joint concerns over Israel’s war on Gaza - recognised as a genocide by the United Nations, human rights groups and historians - and broader attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey began patching up ties around 2021.
More recently, they have converged strategically in hot spots like Syria. Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman both lobbied US President Donald Trump to remove sanctions on President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are also backing the same side in Sudan’s civil war, which has pitched the Sudanese army against the paramilitary RSF backed by the UAE.
Saudi Arabia’s partnership with the UAE has unravelled in a significant way. Saudi Arabia launched strikes on the UAE’s ally in Yemen, the separatist Southern Transitional Council, and Riyadh’s proxies have evicted the STC and UAE from Yemen.
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