Egypt Declines to Join Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani Defense Pact, Aims to Maintain Neutrality

Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, affiliated with Hezbollah, reported citing informed sources in Egypt that Cairo does not intend to join the Makkah Agreement, a joint defense alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, in the near future. The report stated that Egypt will not commit to a military framework based on mutual defense obligations at this time, despite its relations with the involved countries. Egypt is said to be seeking to preserve a degree of neutrality, particularly as it continues to act as a mediator in regional affairs.