Why is Turkey staying out of the Saudi–Pakistan defence pact?

Turkey opts out of Saudi–Pakistan pact

Turkey has decided not to join a mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite earlier indications that talks may have taken place, according to sources cited by AFP.

A source close to the Saudi military told AFP on Saturday that reports of Turkey entering the alliance were incorrect. “Turkey won’t join the defence pact with Pakistan,” the source said, adding: “It’s a bilateral pact with Pakistan and will remain a bilateral pact.”

A Gulf official separately confirmed the position, saying Saudi Arabia has defence arrangements with Turkey but that the agreement with Pakistan would stay strictly bilateral. “This is a bilateral defensive relationship with Pakistan. We have common agreements with Turkey but the one with Pakistan will stay bilateral,” the official said.

Speculation fuelled by regional tensions

Speculation about a possible three-way alliance involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had grown amid heightened regional tensions. The rumours followed Israeli air strikes in Doha over the summer that targeted Hamas officials, which were then followed by Iran’s bombing of a US air base in Qatar.

Against that backdrop, suggestions that the three countries were working towards a broader security alignment gained traction. The Saudi and Gulf sources, however, sought to shut down those claims.

A pact raising sensitive questions

The defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, announced last year, has prompted questions, particularly over its possible nuclear implications, given that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons.

Those sensitivities have been heightened by recent events in South Asia. The pact was signed just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May, the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.

Pakistan and India have long accused each other of backing militant forces to destabilise the other.

Saudi Arabia’s balancing role

Saudi Arabia is believed to have played a key role in defusing the May conflict between Pakistan and India, according to the AFP report. Riyadh also maintains good relations with New Delhi, even as it deepens defence ties with Islamabad.

India’s fast-growing economy depends heavily on imported energy, with Saudi Arabia ranked as its third-largest supplier of petroleum.

A clear message

While Saudi Arabia continues to pursue close defence cooperation with Pakistan, officials have made clear that Turkey will not be part of that arrangement.

The message from Riyadh, conveyed through AFP, is unambiguous: the pact is bilateral — and will remain so.