Turkey Pursues Regional Security Role Through Mecca and Badr Alliances

Turkey has taken institutional steps to strengthen security cooperation in the Middle East, playing an active role in establishing the Mecca and Badr alliances.

Ankara first helped establish the Mecca alliance with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, before taking part in the formation of the Badr alliance with Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia.

The initiatives reflect a Turkish foreign policy approach that Ankara describes as “regional countries taking the initiative.” The emphasis is on states in the region assuming a leading role in addressing security concerns.

The two groupings bring Turkey together with different sets of partners, with Pakistan participating in both. Their membership also extends beyond the Middle East through the involvement of Pakistan and Indonesia.

Taken together, the alliances signal Ankara’s effort to give its regional security cooperation a more institutional framework. They also place Turkey in an active role in building partnerships under its region-led approach.