Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Saudi Arabia on Friday for what his office has described as a routine one-day working visit amid heightened regional tensions. The trip marks Erdogan’s second visit to the kingdom this year and the first since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran, as the two countries continue to deepen their bilateral ties.
The visit carries significant diplomatic weight, coming at a time when the Middle East is grappling with multiple crises, including the ongoing war on Iran, instability in the Red Sea, and persistent tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement in Yemen. Erdogan’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to address a broad range of security, economic, and geopolitical issues.
What’s on the table?
According to Turkish presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran, the trip will focus on “bilateral relations and regional developments” without providing a detailed formal agenda. However, regional media reports indicate that talks will centre on maritime security, the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran, and defence cooperation. Ankara has been notably tight-lipped about specifics, but the timing and the presence of Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, suggest that defence matters are at the forefront.
Erdogan is expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who arrived in the kingdom on Thursday for a three-day visit alongside Pakistan’s army chief. The format of the meeting underscores the growing alignment among the three countries, which have previously cooperated on various regional issues but have not formed a formal tripartite alliance.
Analysts note that the trilateral format is significant because it brings together three key Muslim-majority states with shared concerns about regional stability, maritime security, and counterterrorism. The meeting could also serve as a platform for coordinating positions on the war in Gaza, the situation in Yemen, and the broader confrontation between Iran and the United States and Israel.
A defence pact in the making?
The visit comes as multiple news outlets report that the three countries may sign a formal alliance. A source close to the Saudi military told the AFP news agency that the three leaders are set to sign a joint defence agreement in Jeddah on Friday, while a Turkish intelligence source said the pact’s foundational terms had already been agreed to among the three sides.
If confirmed, such an agreement would likely extend the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed in September 2025, which treats an attack on one as an attack on both, into a three-way framework with Turkiye. That would represent a major strategic shift in the region, creating a formal defence bloc that could potentially counterbalance Iranian influence and address shared security threats.
However, none of this has been confirmed publicly by any of the three governments, and it remains possible that the visit instead brings a more modest joint statement. Even without a formal pact, the fact that the leaders are meeting at all signals a deepening of security coordination among Ankara, Riyadh, and Islamabad.
Experts point out that Turkiye has been expanding its defence industry and has increasingly exported armed drones, naval vessels, and other military technology to Gulf states. Saudi Arabia, in turn, has sought to diversify its security partnerships beyond traditional allies. Pakistan, with its large military and experience in counterterrorism, has long been a close partner to both countries. A formal trilateral defence agreement would formalize and potentially expand these existing relationships.
Why now?
Erdogan’s last visit to Riyadh in February had brought similar talk of a Turkish-Saudi axis, but such an alliance was not formalised. The timing of Friday’s visit, however, is no less significant. It comes a week after Saudi Arabia unveiled a multinational maritime security initiative to protect shipping through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and the Gulf of Aden. The coalition has already been backed by 14 countries, including Turkiye and Pakistan.
The Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb are critical chokepoints for global trade, and recent Houthi attacks on Saudi ships and other vessels have raised alarms in the international community. The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea for months, disrupting supply chains and threatening regional economies. Saudi Arabia’s maritime security initiative is seen as a direct response to these threats, and Turkish and Pakistani participation would give it significant military and logistical weight.
The visit also follows months of upheaval in the Strait of Hormuz, caused by the US and Israel’s war on Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is another critical oil shipping lane, and Iran has repeatedly threatened to close it in response to attacks on its territory. Islamabad has positioned itself as the go-to mediator in the crisis, leveraging its close ties with both Tehran and Washington. Pakistan’s involvement in the proposed trilateral meeting suggests that its mediation role could be expanded to include security guarantees and coordinated naval patrols.
Iran has retaliated against US and Israeli attacks by launching missiles and drones at military bases that host American troops across the region, including in Gulf states. Iran has also targeted hotels and energy sites in the region, raising concerns about a wider war. Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have been caught in the crossfire and have sought to de-escalate while simultaneously strengthening their own defences. The presence of Turkish and Pakistani leaders in Riyadh sends a clear message that the Gulf states are not alone in their efforts to protect their territory and interests.
What happened the last time Erdogan visited?
After the February trip, Ankara and Riyadh released a joint statement pledging to enhance economic, energy, and security cooperation. The statement emphasized their desire to strengthen and develop defence relations in a way that serves the interests of both countries and contributes to achieving security and stability in the region, including through multilateral cooperation platforms.
They also expressed alignment on support for the “ceasefire” in Gaza and the internationally recognised government in Yemen, while rejecting Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland in Somalia. The two leaders affirmed their unwavering support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and their commitment to preserving Somalia’s stability and the prosperity and development of its people.
That joint statement laid the groundwork for deeper military and economic cooperation, but it stopped short of a formal alliance. The current visit could be the next step in that evolution. The fact that Pakistan is now joining the talks suggests that the three countries are considering a more structured form of cooperation, possibly extending beyond defence into areas such as intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, and coordinated diplomatic positions on regional issues.
Relations between Ankara and Riyadh have not always been smooth. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 caused a major rift, and Turkiye’s support for political Islam also created friction with the Saudi royal court. However, over the past few years, both sides have worked to repair ties. Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2022 marked a turning point, and since then, economic and security cooperation has steadily expanded. The Gulf states have also invested heavily in Turkiye, and Turkish defence companies have won contracts in the region.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has historically maintained close military ties with Saudi Arabia, and Pakistani troops have served in the kingdom as part of training and advisory missions. Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and its large standing army make it an important security partner in the region. A formal trilateral agreement with Turkiye would further integrate Pakistan into the Gulf security architecture and give Islamabad a greater role in shaping regional stability.
The broader context of the visit is the ongoing transformation of the Middle East’s security landscape. With the United States reducing its military presence in the region and engaging in direct conflict with Iran, regional powers are increasingly seeking to build alternative security arrangements. Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan all have significant military capabilities and shared interests in maintaining stability in the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and the broader Arabian Peninsula. A formal alignment among them would represent a major shift in the balance of power.
Still, many details remain unconfirmed. The three governments have not publicly acknowledged any planned defence pact, and the outcome of the visit could range from a simple joint communiqué to a comprehensive military agreement. What is clear is that the meeting itself is a signal of intensifying diplomatic activity in the region. With the war on Iran showing no signs of ending, the Red Sea facing ongoing attacks, and the Houthis continuing to target Saudi assets, the need for coordinated security cooperation has never been more urgent.
As Erdogan, Mohammed bin Salman, and Shehbaz Sharif sit down in Jeddah, the region will be watching closely. The outcome of their talks could shape the security architecture of the Middle East for years to come, determining how these three key states respond to shared threats and whether they formalize their partnership into a binding defence alliance.
Source:MSN News