As Alpha Cyprus reported in its main newscast as early as Sunday (August 9), Turkey is seeking to include Egypt in the “Mecca Agreement,” which involves Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, thereby launching a new regional defense and strategic framework in the Middle East. This had become clear both from related television statements by the country’s Vice President, Cennadet Yılmaz, who did not rule out such a possibility, and immediately afterward, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clearly stated that Ankara is working to ensure that Cairo also participates in the Mecca Agreement “once certain outstanding technical issues are resolved,” without, however, specifying what those issues are.
On the other hand, since the day before yesterday, there has been a growing number of leaks originating from sources close to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggesting that Egypt is the one ruling out its participation in this specific regional strategic framework.
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Middle East Eye: Saudi Arabia’s Veto Against Egypt
However, the pro-Qatar news website Middle East Eye, in its article published today, presents a different picture. Citing well-informed Saudi sources, the reason Egypt was kept out of the “Mecca Agreement” is reportedly the veto exercised by the country’s strongman, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to the same report, the government in Riyadh is said to be particularly dissatisfied with the governance of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, because, despite the significant financial aid it received from Saudi Arabia, Egypt has proven unwilling to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in order to jointly confront the Houthi rebels in Yemen —a fact that ultimately prompted the Saudi side to seek Pakistan’s assistance, which eventually sent a military force to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, the impression reportedly formed by those close to Mohammed bin Salman is that the Egyptian army is not, after all, as capable in battle as it seeks to appear to the outside world.
However, yet another reason that is said to have further shaped Riyadh’s stance toward Cairo is that Egypt’s decision-making centers appear to be increasingly influenced by the perspective adopted by the United Arab Emirates, both with regard to broader regional balances as well as the delicate balances that have taken shape in recent months on the front against the Houthis in Yemen. It is worth noting that, although the UAE and Saudi Arabia seek to bring the activities of the pro-Iranian Houthis under control, the governments in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are mobilizing opposing internal forces and actors within Yemen, with the result that the UAE and Saudi have essentially failed to coordinate and jointly shape the same dynamics.
Qatar is keeping a safe distance
At the same time, the stance taken by the Qatari government regarding the “Mecca Agreement” is of particular interest. Specifically, although it welcomed this development, it stated that it does not wish to participate in this framework of regional defense cooperation. Qatar’s decision is easily explained, since if Qatar were to decide to participate in the Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan framework, it could potentially jeopardize the channel of communication it maintains with Pakistan.Arabia-Pakistan framework, it could potentially jeopardize the channel of communication it has maintained with Tehran for decades. Beyond that, however, Qatar has repeatedly demonstrated in the past that it wishes to maintain the flexibility of its regional policy and its ability to play a pivotal role in managingvarious crisis hotspots, both in the Middle East and beyond.
Watch Gabriel Charitou’s appearance on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Nikos Symeou
