Saudi Arabia has ruled out Turkey’s inclusion in defense agreement with Pakistan, it emerged on Sunday.
As per AFP citing sources close to the Saudi military, Turkey will not be included in any joint defense agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The clarification comes after reports earlier this month in which a Turkish official claimed that Turkey was holding talks to join a potential defense alliance.
A source linked to the Saudi military told AFP, “Turkey will not be part of the defense agreement with Pakistan.” The Saudi official dismissed reports of any trilateral negotiations, stressing that “this agreement is bilateral between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and will remain bilateral.”
A Gulf official also confirmed the Saudi position, saying, “Our defense relationship with Pakistan is entirely bilateral. We have separate defense agreements with Turkey; however, the agreement with Pakistan does not involve any third country.”
It is worth noting that the Pakistan–Saudi defense agreement was announced last year, which prompted international discussion, particularly regarding its potential nuclear dimension, as Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state.
