Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a defence pact pledging collective deterrence, as the three regional powers deepen security cooperation amid rising tensions across the Gulf and wider West Asia.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a defence agreement aimed at strengthening collective security and deterrence, as tensions continue to rise across the Gulf and the wider West Asia.
The agreement was signed on Friday during a meeting in Saudi Arabia between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The pact, which Al Arabiya called the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”, ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of the West Asia war and a revived conflict in Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbour Yemen.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the pact is intended to strengthen “collective deterrence against any act of aggression”. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three.
The pact also calls for strengthening defence cooperation across multiple areas, according to the ministry.
What does the defence pact entail?
The agreement brings together Saudi Arabia, a major regional economic and energy power; Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country; and Turkey, a Nato member with one of the alliance’s largest militaries and a growing defence industry.
Details of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. Earlier reports, however, had suggested that the pact could cover areas including joint military exercises and training, intelligence sharing and defence technology cooperation.
The agreement also builds on the existing security relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The two countries signed a mutual defence pact in September that stated an attack against either country would be considered an attack against both.
For Saudi Arabia, the latest agreement comes as the kingdom seeks to broaden its defence partnerships amid heightened regional security concerns. Saudi critical infrastructure and oil facilities have faced threats linked to the broader conflict involving Iran.
Saudi Arabia, whose critical infrastructure and oil facilities have come under attack as part of the war in Iran, has been looking to diversity its defence partnerships.
In September, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both. The agreement also comes amid rising tensions between Turkey and Israel over Gaza and other regional conflicts, including the war in Iran and Lebanon.
Defence pact not tied to nuclear ambitions: Saudi
A Saudi official said Friday that the joint defence pact signed with Turkey and Pakistan was not linked to “any nuclear ambitions” and was not a threat to any country in the region.
“The agreement does not represent an effort to establish a military axis or a sectarian bloc. Nor is it linked to any nuclear ambitions or arms race, rather it is focused on building sustainable capabilities,” said Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly in a post on X.
He said the deal “does not constitute a threat to the security of any country in the region, nor does it represent an escalation of tensions between any two states”.
Deal ‘not aimed at any particular country’: Turkey
Turkey insisted on Friday that its joint defence pact signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan amid the US-Iran war was “not aimed at any particular country”.
“The Mecca Agreement, which is not aimed at any particular country, will strengthen the shared security and collective deterrence of the three nations… thereby making significant contributions to the preservation of peace and stability in our region,” Burhanettin Duran, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, posted on X.
With inputs from agencies
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