The Mecca Pact: From a security umbrella to an energy corridor

The Mecca defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan is, at first glance, a security development. Yet its longer-term significance may emerge in a sphere that extends well beyond military cooperation: energy diplomacy. It is still too early to speak of a new energy bloc. The operational details of the agreement and the degree to which cooperation among the three countries becomes institutionalised will only become clearer over time. Nor is there any guarantee that defence cooperation will automatically translate into economic integration. The composition of the three countries nevertheless raises an important question: could a new security framework alter the risk calculus surrounding energy investment and transportation and, over time, facilitate greater connectivity between the Gulf, Anatolia and […]