Ankara (HRNW)-\u00a0Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that the new defense agreement between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is practically and technically similar to the principle of mutual defense outlined in NATO Article 5.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Turkey\u2019s official news agency Anadolu, Fidan said the defense agreement signed by the three countries provides for the establishment of an institutional system that resembles NATO\u2019s mutual defense structure.<\/p>\n
The Turkish Foreign Minister said a committee comprising defense ministers or other relevant ministers will be established under the new defense arrangement. He said the committee would have a role broadly similar to the corresponding body within NATO.<\/p>\n
Fidan added that a general secretariat for the new defense alliance will also be established, with its headquarters in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
According to the Turkish minister, the objective is to give a formal institutional structure to defense coordination among the three countries and establish an effective communication mechanism for a joint response to any potential security crisis.<\/p>\n
Article 5 of the NATO Treaty is one of the alliance\u2019s fundamental principles. It states that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all members, requiring allied countries to take measures to assist the member under attack.<\/p>\n
Fidan said the new defense arrangement between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is also based on a similar concept of mutual defense.<\/p>\n
The Turkish Foreign Minister further said that Egypt could join the defense agreement in the future, although some technical issues need to be resolved first.<\/p>\n
If Egypt becomes part of the arrangement, the geographical scope of the defense partnership would expand significantly and could increase its strategic importance in security matters concerning the Red Sea, Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf regions.<\/p>\n
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