Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign defence pact
Online Desk: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a joint defence pact in the holy city of Makkah, which empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which seeks to strengthen the collective security of the three states, was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince and PM Mohammad bin Salman, and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Al-Safa Palace.The signing of the agreement was announced by three countries through a joint statement, which was published by Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) and Saudi Arabia’s official SPA press agency.It said the pact reflected the three countries’ “shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future”.“The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”It also “provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation” among the three countries, the statement added.The agreement is “guided by the longstanding historical ties among the three states, based on the enduring bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity that unite them, and building upon their shared strategic interests and longstanding defence cooperation”.During the Makkah Summit for Joint Defence, the “distinguished relations” between the three countries were reviewed, “along with a number of issues of mutual interest”, the statement noted.From Pakistan’s side, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif were also present at the signing ceremony.The defence and foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye were in attendance as well.
