The Mecca Agreement... A Clear Message to the World

The Mecca Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan for joint defense is not merely a passing understanding, but a clear political and security message to the world: the security of the Kingdom and the countries of the region is a red line, and protecting it is a regional responsibility that cannot be left hostage to the calculations of major powers or certain states seeking to exert hegemony over the region.

This agreement reflects a trend toward building a regional deterrence capability capable of protecting vital installations and interests, and it underscores that regional states can diversify their defense partnerships and avoid reliance on a single international actor.

Moreover, the most important message is that strength does not mean seeking war, but preventing it; states capable of safeguarding their security and resources are better positioned to impose stability and reject coercion and blackmail.

The Mecca Agreement could serve as the nucleus of a new regional security framework, with the principle that there will be no aggression against Gulf security, no interference with its wealth, no threat to its sanctities, and no decisions on war imposed on its peoples from outside.

A Kuwaiti journalist