Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Sign Joint Defence Pact

Turkey has joined Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in a new joint defence agreement, referred to in headlines as the 'Mecca Pact'. Pakistan says the pact is 'purely defensive' and open to other countries. The agreement is described as a hedge against limits on US defence support. It is also seen as complicating Saudi Arabia's prospects for peace with Israel and as likely to boost ties between India and Israel. Separately, Chancellor Stocker met Erdoğan, with Turkish air travel links moving closer.