Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan looks on as he addresses the audience during a press briefing meeting to review the past year and to share insights regarding regional and global developments in Istanbul Thursday. (AFP)
NATO member Turkey is holding talks with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to join a defence alliance established in September between the two countries, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.
“At present, there are discussions and talks underway, but no agreement has yet been signed,” Fidan told reporters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “vision is broader, more comprehensive, and aimed at establishing a larger platform,” he added.
The defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, announced amid tensions in the Gulf region, raises many questions, particularly about its possible nuclear component, given Islamabad possesses nuclear weapons.
The Pakistan-Saudi pact was signed just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides in missile, drone and artillery fire, the worst clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.
Pakistan and India, also a nuclear power, have long accused each other of backing militant forces to destabilise one another.
Saudi Arabia is believed to have played a key role in defusing the conflict.
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