Trump welcomes the Mecca defence pact as Egypt weighs joining

Donald Trump calls the defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan a "big, bold and important first step" and a sign that the Middle East "is coming together". The pact was signed on 7 August in Mecca by Erdoğan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and holds that an armed attack on one of the countries is regarded as an attack on all three. Egypt's foreign minister Badr Abdelatty says Cairo is "studying the possibility of joining", and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan calls Egypt a natural partner he expects in the alliance; for Ankara the pact means a central place in the Gulf's security order as the United States pulls back.

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