Turkey has shown interest in joining the defence arrangement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. Under the strategic defence pact signed by Islamabad and Riyadh in 2025, any aggression against one member is to be treated as an attack on all.
According to the report, talks on Turkey’s possible inclusion are at an advanced stage and a deal is considered likely. Ankara’s entry into the existing bilateral framework could lead to a new security alignment with the potential to alter the regional balance of power, not just in the Middle East but beyond.
Turkey has consistently supported Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and played a direct role during the brief India–Pakistan military confrontation in May 2025. During the four-day conflict, Ankara supplied Pakistan with more than 350 military drones, along with trained operators. Pakistani forces deployed Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and YIHA drones during the hostilities.
Defence ties between Turkey and Pakistan have expanded rapidly over the past few years. Ankara is assisting Islamabad in building corvette warships and upgrading Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets. Beyond supplying equipment, Turkey has also been involved in training Pakistani military personnel.
Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at Ankara-based think tank TEPAV, told Bloomberg that the three countries bring complementary strengths. Turkey offers operational experience and a mature defence industry, Pakistan brings nuclear capability and ballistic missiles, while Saudi Arabia provides financial backing.
Although Turkey is a member of the US-led NATO alliance and has the second-largest armed force in the bloc after the United States, analysts say Ankara may be looking to diversify its security partnerships. This comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has publicly downplayed NATO’s relevance.
“As the US increasingly prioritises its own interests and those of Israel, shifting regional dynamics are pushing countries to reassess alliances and identify new partners,” Ozcan said.
The Bloomberg report was based on inputs from people familiar with the matter. Turkey’s Defence Ministry declined to comment, while Pakistan’s Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Saudi officials were also unavailable, the report said.
According to Bloomberg, Turkey’s strategic interests are increasingly overlapping with those of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia across South Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa, making a broader defence understanding more plausible.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025 during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Doha. While details of the agreement have not been officially disclosed, reports suggest that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities, including its nuclear arsenal, could be factored into Saudi Arabia’s defence if required.
The pact reportedly includes a collective defence clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all. Notably, Turkey is NATO’s largest military contributor after the United States.
How Turkey is aiding Pakistan militarily
Turkey’s military assistance to Pakistan has grown steadily in recent years. Turkish shipbuilders are working with Pakistani counterparts on two Babur-class frigates based on Turkey’s MILGEM corvette design. In addition, two ships of the same class—PNS Babur and PNS Khaiber—were built in Turkey and delivered to Pakistan.
Ankara is also carrying out a mid-life upgrade of 42 Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jets through Turkish Aerospace Industries, extending their operational life to around 12,000 flight hours. According to the UN COMTRADE database, Pakistan imported arms, ammunition and related equipment worth $5.16 million from Turkey in 2024.
Drones remain the most visible symbol of this cooperation. During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Turkey supplied Pakistan with more than 350 drones and loitering munitions, along with trained personnel to assist in operations against India, according to media reports. Sources told India Today TV that two Turkish operatives were killed during the conflict.
Ahead of the operation, Turkey had also sent a warship on a port call to Karachi and dispatched a C-130 military transport aircraft to Pakistan. Ankara and Islamabad are now in talks to set up local production lines in Pakistan for drones and loitering munitions, including the Bayraktar TB2.
What Turkey’s entry could mean
If Turkey formally joins the alliance, it would signal a reset in ties with Saudi Arabia after years of rivalry for leadership of the Sunni Muslim world. Having moved past a period of tension, the two countries are expanding economic and defence cooperation. They held their first-ever bilateral naval meeting in Ankara this week, according to Turkey’s Defence Ministry.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia also share concerns about Iran’s regional influence, though both prefer engagement over direct confrontation. They back a stable, Sunni-led government in Syria and support Palestinian statehood.
Beyond regional politics, Turkey’s potential entry into the alliance could complicate existing geopolitical equations involving the US, NATO and Iran, while also drawing closer scrutiny from India.
A trilateral security framework involving a NATO member, a nuclear-armed state and the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites would represent a rare convergence of military capability, strategic geography and financial power—one that could reshape security dynamics across West Asia, South Asia and parts of Africa.