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 two alliances with regional and international partners.

Ankara first helped establish the Mecca alliance with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It then played a role in forming the Badr alliance with Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia.

The initiatives reflect a Turkish foreign policy approach described as “regional countries taking the initiative.” That framing places an emphasis on countries in the region assuming greater responsibility for cooperation on security.

Pakistan’s participation in both alliances provides a shared link between the two groupings. Their different memberships also give Ankara separate frameworks for pursuing cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Indonesia.

Taken together, the steps point to Turkey’s ambition to help shape a more coordinated approach to regional security. The information provided, however, does not specify the alliances’ operational arrangements or the commitments undertaken by their members.