AMMAN — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday in Mecca, aimed at strengthening joint deterrence and expanding defense cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

 

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any of the countries will be treated as an attack against all of them.

 

According to SPA, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif were received by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the holy city of Mecca, where the leaders reviewed relations between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan and discussed issues of mutual interest.

 

SPA said that the Makkah Summit for Joint Defence was held on the basis of the three countries’ historic ties, Islamic solidarity, shared strategic interests and close defense cooperation.

 

“The agreement reflects the three nations’ commitment to bolstering their collective security and promoting peace, security and stability in the region and the wider world”, SPA reported.

 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Friday said that the agreement reflected the deep strategic ties between the three countries and marked a significant step in defense cooperation, saying it demonstrated their shared commitment to addressing regional security challenges and supporting stability.

 

Turkey said on Friday that its new defense agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia did not contradict its commitments to the NATO alliance.

 

“The agreement is not in contradiction with the commitments of Turkey’s existing international alliances, including those at the heart of NATO,” the government’s anti-disinformation service said in a post on X.

 

“Turkiye’s development of regional partnerships is not an alternative to its NATO membership,” it said.

 

The three countries signed the joint decree on Friday in Riyadh, amid violence in the region from Houthi attacks and the US-Iran war, Riyadh-based Arab News reported.

 

They have been the subject of months of speculation about a possible strategic alliance.

 

Pakistan has sought to mediate efforts to end the US-Iran war, while Turkey has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

 

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a joint defence pact in 2025, a move that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world's only nuclear-equipped state.

 

With Arab News and AFP