Friday, 07/08/2026   
   Beirut 17:05

Saudi ⁠Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye Sign Defense Deal at Mecca Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Image by Anadolu)

Saudi ⁠Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye have signed a ⁠joint defense agreement at a trilateral summit in Mecca on Friday, pledging to strengthen collective security.

Pakistan’s ⁠Foreign Ministry on Friday said the agreement states ⁠that an armed ⁠attack on any one of the ⁠three countries would be ⁠regarded as an ⁠attack against them all.

The deal comes a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by powerful army chief Asim Munir, arrived in Saudi Arabia and performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also travelled to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed by Erdogan, bin Salman and Sharif during the summit held at Al-Safa Palace.

According to a statement by Turkiye’s Communications Directorate, the agreement reflects the three countries’ shared commitment to “reinforcing their collective security, building on longstanding historical ties, Islamic solidarity, common strategic interests and close defense cooperation.”

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries shall be regarded as an attack against them all.

The deal among the three countries follows nearly a year of negotiations. Sealing the agreement in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, adds symbolic heft to a pact that builds on longstanding bilateral military ties.

Pakistan has provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Turkiye and Pakistan have exchanged warships ⁠and training aircraft.

In 2023, Riyadh agreed to buy Turkish drones in what Ankara called its largest defense export contract.

Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)