Saudi Money, Pakistani Nuclear and Turkish Military Dominance Combine to Form "Muslim NATO"

Turkey is seeking to join Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in a new defence alliance modelled on NATO, Turkish media have reported, which could create a “new security architecture” and significantly affect the regional balance of power.

According to reports, negotiations on Turkey’s participation are in an “advanced stage,” and reaching an agreement is considered highly likely.

This move comes after Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a defence pact in September that treats “any aggression” against one member as an attack on all, directly reflecting Article 5 of NATO.

Sources close to the talks say that Ankara sees this arrangement as a way to strengthen its own security and deter potential threats. The decision is partly motivated by questions about the reliability of the United States (U.S.), as well as uncertainty regarding President Donald Trump’s commitment to the NATO alliance, of which Turkey has been a long-standing member.

Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at Ankara-based institute TEPAV, points out that all three countries would benefit greatly from such an alliance, given their specific contributions: Saudi Arabia: Possesses enormous financial resources thanks to its oil reserves; Pakistan: The only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, it has ballistic missiles and a large standing army; Turkey: Brings soldiers with extensive combat experience and a highly developed defence industry, including advanced drone production (Bayraktar and others).

“Changing regional dynamics are prompting countries to seek new mechanisms for defining security partnerships,” Ozcan explained.

Turkey’s potential entry into this pact marks a new phase in relations between Ankara and Riyadh. Since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, Turkey has been closely aligned with Qatar, supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which caused tensions with Saudi Arabia, which in 2014 declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.

Relations hit rock bottom during the blockade of Qatar in 2017, led by Saudi Arabia. However, in recent years, there has been a significant thaw in relations. As a sign of rapprochement, Turkey’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that this week the Saudi and Turkish militaries held their first naval meeting in Ankara.

For Pakistan, which has long maintained military cooperation with both countries, this alliance comes at a crucial moment. Islamabad is seeking stronger allies after brief clashes with India in May and tensions with the Taliban government in Afghanistan in October.

Pakistan accuses India and Afghanistan of supporting the Pakistani branch of the Taliban (TTP), which has intensified attacks on Pakistani soil, including recent suicide attacks on a court in Islamabad.