AiBotRiyadh, Saudi Arabia has reportedly expressed reservations regarding Egypt’s potential inclusion in a defense pact agreed upon by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Yemeni government-backed Southern Transitional Council in 2022, also known as the Mecca Agreement.
According to sources cited by the Middle East Eye, Saudi Arabia has raised concerns that including Egypt in the defensive arrangement would undermine its regional influence and potentially compromise the country’s delicate relationship with Cairo.
Egypt, an economically vital trade partner for Saudi Arabia, has been seeking to strengthen its alliance with Riyadh over the last few years. However, Turkey has long maintained its commitment to expanding this Egyptian relationship to the Mecca Agreement.
Anatolia News Agency reported that Turkey publicly called for Egypt’s inclusion in the pact late last year. Egypt has a close relationship with Turkey dating back to 2019, a period marked by significant political instability in the region.
Cairo’s potential involvement in the partnership was initially dismissed by Turkish diplomatic efforts, which urged Riyadh to give the Egyptian government a chance to join their collective agreement. Riyadh reportedly remains skeptical, with the kingdom worried that an Egyptian partnership could potentially undermine the alliance’s balance of power.
This comes as the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia shows little sign of abating, with ongoing clashes and escalating diplomatic tensions between the two regional foes.
While Turkey maintains its diplomatic drive, Riyadh has shown little willingness to change course on its regional relations. It remains unclear at this time whether Cairo will be able to join the Mecca Agreement defense pact in the foreseeable future, despite diplomatic efforts by Ankara to secure its inclusion.