Will 'Islamic Nato' protect Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey? | Global News Podcast
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a defence pact, saying an attack on one of them would be seen as an attack on all
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a defence pact, saying an attack on one of them would be seen as an attack on all three. Some analysts have described this deal between majority-Muslim powers as the "Islamic Nato" - though the members have not used that term. So do the signatories of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement really intend to come to their partners' rescue - particularly if it risks joining a wider conflict in the Middle East?
Iran has launched strikes on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries throughout the war with the US and Israel. In recent days, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have targetted a Saudi tanker and oil refinery. At the same time, Pakistan has been trying to broker peace between Iranian leaders and the administration of President Donald Trump. And Pakistan's rival, India, has built its own relationships with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
We speak to the BBC's global affairs analyst Anbarasan Ethirajan about the deal agreed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day. You can listen here And you can find more of our YouTube episodes here For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news #bbcnews 00:00 Introduction 00:20 What is the Saudi, Pakistan, Turkey defence pact?
01:45 Why sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement now? 04:08 Iran-backed Houthis strike Saudi targets 07:17 Pakistan and US-Iran peace talks 09:46 How India views the defence pact
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