According to a report by Russia's “Kommersant” on August 13, Arab media reported that Egypt was unable to join the joint defense alliance formed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia due to opposition from the Saudi royal family. Riyadh believes that Egypt and Saudi Arabia's rival in the region have close ties with the UAE, so they cannot act as a strategic partner. As the main driver behind Egypt's entry into the alliance, Turkey has always publicly emphasized that the doors of “Sunni NATO” should be open to all interested parties. Britain's “Eye on the Middle East” news network quoted Saudi sources as reporting that Saudi Arabia clearly opposed Egypt's entry into the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Sources said that the Saudi royal family has informed its partners in the “Sunni NATO” that it has doubts about the reliability of Egypt as a strategic partner. One reason is that Egypt and the UAE are too close, and the latter is Saudi Arabia's main competitor in the region. What dissatisfies the Saudi side is that throughout the Iranian conflict, Cairo actively supported Abu Dhabi in the diplomatic and military fields, but did not treat Riyadh in this way.

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