Report: Egypt Turns Down Invitation to Join Turkey-Saudi Defense Alliance

Arab media outlets reported today (Tuesday) that Egypt refused to join the defense alliance signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, largely because of its relationships with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Middle East Eye, a website identified with the Qatari-Turkish line, reported, citing a source in Ankara, that "Turkey made a significant effort to bring Egypt into the defense alliance signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan," but Egypt declined.

Another source in Ankara said Egypt’s decision not to join the alliance stemmed mainly from its sensitive relationship with Israel. According to the source, Cairo would have faced heavy pressure from Israel if it had ultimately chosen to join the defense alliance.

It was also reported that Egypt has a defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and according to one of the sources, Cairo "does not want to choose either side — Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on one side, and Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and India on the other." The report has not been confirmed in Egypt.

As a reminder, the agreement was signed last week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Media outlets reported that it was a defensive move against Iran, but Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denied this. In the United States, it was reported that a Turkish Foreign Ministry official denied that the agreement was connected to Iran, leading to the assessment that Turkey was seeking to create a new axis against Israel.