As tensions between and threaten to plunge the Middle East into chaos once again, Turkish Foreign Minister and Pakistani Defense Industry Minister Raza Hayat Haraz revealed that a tripartite defense partnership is in the works with .
Both Fidan and Haraz in their statements claimed that discussions have progressed, but that no agreement has yet been signed.
Turkey wants “regional cooperation platform”
More specifically, Hakan Fidan in a press conference, speaking about the contacts with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia regarding a common defense agreement, argued that there is a need for wider regional cooperation and trust, in order to overcome the suspicions that create “rifts and problems” and lead either to the emergence of foreign hegemonies or to wars and instability fueled by terrorism.
“At the end of all this, our proposal is this: all states in the region should come together and create a platform for security cooperation,” he said. Regional issues can be resolved if countries “trust each other,” he added.
“At the moment there are meetings and discussions, but no agreement has been signed. Our President Tayyip Erdogan’s vision is an inclusive platform that will create wider and greater cooperation and stability.”
There is a draft agreement
For his part, Raza Hayat Haraz said in his statements to Reuters that: “The tripartite agreement between Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkey is being prepared. The draft agreement is already in our hands. He is in Saudi Arabia. It is also in Turkey. All three countries are considering it. It’s been on the table for about ten months.”
As Haraz mentioned, the potential agreement between the three regional powers is independent of the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia bilateral defense deal announced last year and requires the final consent of all three states to be completed.
How will an agreement affect the region if signed
Analysts estimate that a tripartite partnership would strengthen efforts to “contain” and deter Iran, while at the same time helping Riyadh and Turkey diversify their alliances beyond the West.
The main issue that the parties involved seem to be facing is that they will have to agree on the “depth” that this agreement will have, as a common defense agreement with NATO-style clauses could provoke strong reactions both from the North Atlantic Alliance itself, as well as from Washington and Israel.
Experts estimate that it is most likely that if an agreement is finally reached, it will be limited to a simple cooperation to increase the common defense capability of the participants and this only if they manage to find ways to cooperate at the level of information exchange and management. The defense industry will also play a decisive role in what is finally agreed, namely co-productions, countervailing benefits, pricing and technology transfer.
