Turkey wants to expand its newly formed defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to include more countries, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, citing President Tayyip Erdoğan's vision.
"Under our president's vision, we should not remain limited to three countries. We should grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella," Fidan told state news agency Anadolu in remarks published on Saturday.
Several countries have already expressed interest, he said, adding that he expected Egypt to join in the long term once "a few technical issues" were overcome.
Fidan said Turkey had good relations with most countries in the region but argued that a formal institutional framework was needed to ensure lasting stability. "External great powers coming into the region do not solve the problems; they make them more acute, and the cost becomes very high," he said.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan, regional power Saudi Arabia and NATO member Turkey signed the so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Friday in the Saudi city of Mecca, amid rising tensions in the Gulf.
Under the agreement, an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three. Fidan compared the pact to NATO's Article 5, which provides for mutual assistance in the event of an attack.
Members could request different forms of support depending on the threat, including intelligence, logistics, ammunition and military units, Fidan said. The pact is also intended to promote joint military exercises, training and defence cooperation.