Erdoğan tells SCO summit Mecca Defense Alliance can strengthen global peace

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek that the Mecca Defense Alliance created with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would contribute to regional and global peace through collective deterrence.

Speaking at the expanded session of the SCO Council of Heads of State at the Iris Ordo Congress Center, Erdoğan also addressed the organization’s role in a multipolar world, transport and energy corridors, the war in Gaza, Lebanon and Türkiye’s hosting of COP31. According to Karar, citing news agencies, Erdoğan presented Ankara’s approach as one combining regional ownership, diplomacy, connectivity and new security partnerships.

Erdoğan highlights collective deterrence through Mecca Defense Alliance

One of the most prominent elements of Erdoğan’s speech was the recently established Mecca Defense Alliance, formed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Erdoğan said the alliance was based on regional ownership and collective deterrence and argued that it could make a significant contribution not only to the security of its participating countries but also to wider regional and international stability.

He described the initiative as a mechanism capable of supporting “regional and global peace and stability.”

The remarks came shortly after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan held the first meeting of the alliance’s Strategic, Political and Defense Committee in Istanbul.

At that meeting, representatives of the three countries discussed institutional arrangements, military cooperation, interoperability and potential expansion of the alliance.

By raising the initiative at the SCO summit, Erdoğan placed the newly created security structure within a broader international diplomatic context.

SCO has become a major element of the multipolar order

Erdoğan also focused extensively on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization itself, describing its growing importance in the international system.

He said the SCO represents approximately 3.5 billion people and economies with a combined gross domestic product of around $35 trillion.

According to Erdoğan, the organization has become an indispensable component of the emerging multipolar international order during its 25-year history.

He said Türkiye sees the SCO, which brings together countries from the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, as a structure that supports and complements the United Nations rather than replacing it.

Erdoğan linked the organization’s approach to Türkiye’s own multidimensional foreign policy, which Ankara says places regional ownership at its center.

Türkiye, he added, would continue assuming responsibility for resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy and would work for peace and stability both in its surrounding region and internationally.

Türkiye participates in the SCO as a dialogue partner rather than a full member.

Erdoğan calls for stronger links between Middle Corridor and Belt and Road

The Turkish president said the SCO could play an important role beyond traditional security issues.

He highlighted uninterrupted transport routes, energy supply security and regional connectivity as fields in which deeper cooperation could benefit member and partner countries.

Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s geographical position between the SCO region and Western markets, particularly in relation to the diversification of energy corridors and the management of geopolitical risks.

He called for greater coordination between the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor Initiative and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Türkiye promotes the Middle Corridor as a trade and transport route linking Central Asia and the Caucasus with Türkiye and onward to European markets.

Erdoğan said Ankara attaches considerable importance to cooperation within the SCO on such projects and intends to deepen its relations with the organization across multiple sectors.

He also described the SCO as a “rising star,” signaling that Türkiye wants to expand engagement with the organization while retaining its existing international partnerships.

Türkiye invites leaders to COP31 in Antalya

Climate policy was another part of Erdoğan’s address.

The president listed climate change, irregular migration, terrorism, transnational crime and food security among challenges that increasingly affect countries across different regions.

He said Türkiye intended to continue contributing to efforts aimed at limiting the negative impact of climate change.

Erdoğan announced that Türkiye would host the COP31 summit in Antalya on November 11-12, 2026, and invited leaders and representatives attending the SCO meeting to participate.

He argued that the SCO could play an increasingly significant role in shaping what he described as a genuinely multipolar world, drawing on the cooperation principles associated with the “Shanghai spirit.”

Erdoğan also wished Pakistan success as it prepares to take over the SCO rotating presidency from Kyrgyzstan.

The remarks linked Türkiye’s security and connectivity agenda with climate diplomacy, reflecting Ankara’s effort to use multiple international platforms to expand its diplomatic engagement.

Erdoğan raises Gaza and Lebanon at peace-focused summit

Erdoğan also used his address to focus on Gaza and Lebanon, arguing that discussions of international peace should not overlook developments in the region.

According to Karar’s account of the speech, Erdoğan said 74,000 people, most of them women and children, had been killed due to Israeli attacks in Gaza.

That figure was presented by Erdoğan during his speech.

The Turkish president argued that the consequences of Israel’s policies were being felt across the wider region rather than remaining confined to Gaza.

He also referred to Lebanon while discussing regional security and the need to prevent further instability.

Türkiye has repeatedly called for an end to fighting in Gaza and has advocated diplomatic measures intended to prevent the conflict from expanding across the Middle East.

In Bishkek, Erdoğan connected those concerns with his argument that regional countries should take greater responsibility for their own security and stability.

That approach also formed part of his explanation of the Mecca Defense Alliance.

Ankara links security partnerships to a broader foreign policy strategy

Erdoğan’s remarks placed the Mecca Defense Alliance within Türkiye’s wider approach to international affairs rather than presenting it as an isolated military initiative.

Ankara is simultaneously a NATO member, an SCO dialogue partner and a participant in several regional diplomatic and economic frameworks.

Türkiye has increasingly emphasized what it calls a multidimensional foreign policy, maintaining formal security ties with Western allies while expanding relations with Russia, China, Central Asian states, Gulf countries and Pakistan.

The Bishkek speech reflected that strategy.

Erdoğan discussed the SCO’s place in a multipolar world, connectivity between Asia and Europe, energy security, climate policy and a new collective-defense initiative within the same address.

His emphasis on “regional ownership” also echoed Türkiye’s argument that countries directly affected by regional security problems should play a larger role in designing solutions.

The Mecca Defense Alliance, according to Erdoğan’s framing, is intended to form part of that model through cooperation between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Bishkek summit puts Türkiye’s expanding regional role in focus

Erdoğan’s appearance at the SCO summit comes as Türkiye seeks to deepen engagement with Asian and Middle Eastern powers while maintaining its established Western alliances.

His remarks indicated that Ankara sees the SCO as an increasingly important diplomatic and economic platform, particularly in transport, energy and regional security.

At the same time, the president used the summit to promote a separate security mechanism involving Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The next phase will depend on how the Mecca Defense Alliance translates its collective-deterrence concept into concrete institutional and military mechanisms and whether the three founding countries expand the structure to include additional states.

Erdoğan’s Bishkek speech also underscored Türkiye’s intention to continue developing ties with the SCO while promoting the Middle Corridor, strengthening energy connectivity and using diplomatic platforms to address conflicts in the Middle East.

For Ankara, the summit therefore served not only as an SCO gathering but also as a stage to present Türkiye’s broader vision of regional security, multipolar cooperation and expanded diplomatic engagement.

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