Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia Begin New Defence Partnership With First Makkah Pact Meeting

Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are set to hold the first meeting of the strategic body created under their Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signalling a move towards closer coordination on security and regional stability.

The inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee will be held in Istanbul on Monday. Pakistan will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, according to Pakistan's Foreign Office.

The meeting will bring together the foreign and defence ministers, along with senior military officials, from all three countries. The participation of the top political and military leadership is expected to provide an early indication of how the newly signed agreement will translate into practical security cooperation.

Islamabad said its participation reflects its longstanding ties with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its commitment to promoting lasting peace and stability in the region.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city on August 7, against the backdrop of growing security concerns and escalating tensions in West Asia. Its most significant provision states that an attack on one signatory will be treated as an attack on all three, creating a collective-security framework among the countries.

The agreement has been described as a significant step towards stronger cooperation among Muslim-majority nations in defence and security. Its potential expansion has also drawn interest from other countries, with Bangladesh already indicating an interest in joining the pact.

The Istanbul meeting could therefore mark the beginning of a broader security partnership, as the three founding members seek to turn the political understanding reached in Makkah into a more structured mechanism for defence coordination.