New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday stated that it is examining the implications of the recently signed Mecca Defence Pact between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Answering queries by reporters on the recently-signed pact, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted during a biweekly briefing that India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests.
“Regarding the agreement that was signed recently, let me say that we continue to closely follow developments in the West Asia conflict. As far as this particular agreement is concerned, we are examining its implications, both from the perspective of our national security as well as considerations of regional stability, peace and stability. India remains fully committed to meeting or safeguarding its national interests and will take all necessary measures in this regard,” the spokesperson stated.
Analysts reckon that the defence agreement risks remaining largely rhetorical unless it clearly defines what constitutes aggression, identifies the circumstances that would trigger a military response, and outlines how the three countries would coordinate their forces.
it appears to be a “backup plan”, with the three middle powers preparing for a scenario in which they can no longer rely fully on the security guarantees of the major powers. Moreover, the agreement is framed in vague terms, with no clear obligation for any of the three countries to go to war if another member is attacked, a report in ‘Modern Diplomacy’ highlighted this week.
Meanwhile, Sergio Restelli, an Italian political advisor, author and geopolitical expert, wrote in ‘The Times of Israel’ that Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif gave the emerging alliance something its carefully-worded official text had conspicuously avoided: a clearly identified enemy — Israel and India.
“Asif called for Muslim countries to unite against Israel and advocated a united military front, arguing that the threat posed by the Jewish state extended beyond Palestine to the Muslim world as a whole. Pakistan has never recognised Israel and Pakistani politicians have frequently adopted strongly anti-Israel and strongly anti-semitic positions. What makes Asif’s latest intervention different is that it comes immediately after Islamabad entered a potentially historic collective defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” Restelli detailed.
–IANS
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