Saudi official says defense pact with Pakistan, Turkey not tied to nuclear ambitions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands during a welcome ceremony, in Ankara, Turkey, June 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands during a welcome ceremony, in Ankara, Turkey, June 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A Saudi official says the joint defense pact signed with Turkey and Pakistan is not linked to “any nuclear ambitions” and is not a threat to any country in the region.

“The agreement does not represent an effort to establish a military axis or a sectarian bloc. Nor is it linked to any nuclear ambitions or arms race, rather it is focused on building sustainable capabilities,” Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly writes in a post on X.

He says the deal “does not constitute a threat to the security of any country in the region, nor does it represent an escalation of tensions between any two states.”

Saudi Arabia just signed a deal with the United States to obtain nuclear energy, with the possibility of enrichment on Saudi soil, though US President Donald Trump later said the deal was conditioned on the kingdom normalizing its ties with Israel.

Pakistan has nuclear weapons.

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