Cairo’s position is crucial, not only because of the size of its armed forces, but because it is the region’s most populous country with 103 million people, its economic weight, and its historical political and cultural influence.
Such a grouping is currently not possible, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry emphasized during a visit to Bahrain, according to the Al Ahram newspaper.
The newspaper itself stressed that speculation about the formation of a regional NATO promoting security cooperation between Israel and the Arab countries and sponsored by the United States has increased in recent days.
The issue gained strength on the eve of US President Joe Biden’s visit to the area.
Although Shoukry dismissed the idea of creating a NATO-like organization, he stressed the importance of strengthening the collective action of Arab nations.
We are always striving to activate joint mechanisms and capabilities to protect Arab security, he stressed.
We are in constant consultation on various issues, whether military, political or otherwise, he stressed.
In a recent interview with US television network CNBC, Jordan’s King Abdullah II advocated the formation of a NATO-style military coalition in the region.
Shortly thereafter, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that his country would form a Pentagon-led Middle East air defense alliance as part of Tel Aviv’s war strategy against Iran.
The Wall Street Journal, however, explained that the proposal received little support in the region.
These plans are not the first in the region, as the Central Treaty Organization was established in 1955, which was uneventful until its dissolution in 1979, and more recently former US President Donald Trump promoted the Middle East Strategic Alliance.
The idea of an Arab NATO has surfaced repeatedly in recent weeks following calls from Washington and various European capitals for the bloc to expand.
At its recent summit in Madrid, NATO adopted a new Strategic Concept that sees Russia as its main threat and also targets China.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the group’s “imperial ambitions”.
“We urge NATO to learn its lessons, neither to provoke an open confrontation (…) nor a new Cold War, nor to seek imaginary enemies in the Asia-Pacific region to create conflicts and divisions,” the permanent representative warned China to the UN Zhang Jun.
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