This Saturday, the Directorate of Communications of the Turkish Presidency rejected circulating claims on social media that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, would contravene Article 5 of the NATO treaty or create a parallel military alliance.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty constitutes NATO’s collective defense clause, whereby an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all.
In a statement posted Friday on the Turkish social network NSosyal, the Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM) of the Directorate of Communications described these claims as “completely false” and as a “perception-manipulation campaign whose origin is clearly identifiable”.
The DMM indicated that the agreement does not contradict Turkey’s existing international commitments, notably its obligations within NATO, but rather constitutes a complementary mechanism intended to support regional security.
This Mecca joint defense agreement “is not an offensive military bloc, but a defensive mechanism aimed at strengthening deterrence”.
According to the DMM, the agreement does not target any third country or any bloc and instead seeks to promote cooperation in the defense industry, military training, technology sharing and efforts to strengthen regional stability.
The Center also urged the public not to credit the “unfounded claims and manipulative publications”.
