‘Don’t Outsource Your Security’: Turkey Sets Regional Red Lines, Message Clear For Pakistan

Last Updated:January 30, 2026, 11:27 IST

According to Turkey Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, unless regional actors take ownership of their own problems, stability will remain elusive.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (Image: AP)

Turkey is pushing a new regional security narrative that directly challenges the long-standing habit of outsourcing defence while carefully defining the behavioural red lines for those seeking to be part of any future pact. Speaking on the idea of a Türkiye–Pakistan–Saudi Arabia defence arrangement, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made it clear that Ankara is not interested in creating a new geopolitical camp, but in building a trust-based regional solidarity platform rooted in collective responsibility.

“Don’t outsource your security," Fidan said, arguing that the core problem in the region is not merely external interference but the deep lack of trust between nation states. According to him, unless regional actors take ownership of their own problems, stability will remain elusive. For Turkey, regional security requires solidarity, institutionalisation and eventually the creation of pacts and platforms that reflect shared interests rather than dependency on outside powers.

Fidan underlined that any such arrangement should be inclusive. “No Turkish domination, no Arab domination, no Farsi domination, no other domination," he said, stressing that the aim is responsible regional action, not hierarchy. He added that while a platform could begin with two or three countries, it should be capable of expanding into something all-encompassing over time. The emphasis, repeatedly, was on rules-based cooperation and regional ownership.

Ankara’s call also comes amid growing discussion about a possible Türkiye–Pakistan–Saudi Arabia defence understanding. While Turkey has not confirmed a formal pact, Fidan acknowledged that institutionalisation naturally requires frameworks and agreements. However, he was equally clear that Turkey does not want to draw new dividing lines in an already fractured region.

Pointing to Europe, Fidan asked why other regions could not follow a similar path. “Look at how the European Union has managed to form itself from scratch to today. Why not us," he said, presenting the EU as an example of how trust and institutions can be built over time despite historical rivalries.

According to top Indian intelligence sources, Turkey’s regional security vision is deliberately idealistic in its language but quietly conditional in substance. While Ankara speaks of inclusivity and solidarity, it also expects partners to align their conduct with collective stability. This places a particular focus on Pakistan.

For Pakistan, the message from Ankara is increasingly clear. Participation in any regional platform would require a move away from purely tactical alliances towards strategic responsibility. Inclusion would mean aligning national behaviour with regional stability, not seeking flexibility through proxies or ambiguity. Pakistan can be part of the platform, but only if it demonstrates commitment to trust, rules-based security and collective restraint.

In effect, Turkey is signalling a shift in regional thinking — away from outsourced security and towards indigenous, institutionalised cooperation. Whether regional states are willing to accept not just the benefits but also the discipline of such a framework remains the open question.

News world ‘Don’t Outsource Your Security’: Turkey Sets Regional Red Lines, Message Clear For Pakistan

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