Report: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to hold first meeting under Joint Defence Agreement

Senior officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are expected to meet in Istanbul on Monday for the first committee meeting under a joint defence agreement signed earlier this month, according to a Reuters report, Anadolu reports.

Reuters cited a Turkish Foreign Ministry source as saying that the three countries’ foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs of staff would participate in the meeting.

“International security issues will be on the agenda,” the source said.

The talks are also expected to focus on strengthening defence capabilities and interoperability among the three countries’ armed forces, as well as expanding cooperation in defence industries, including the joint development and production of military equipment.

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The three countries signed what has been described as the Mecca Joint defence Agreement on 7th August amid heightened regional security concerns and continuing conflict involving Iran.

Under the agreement, according to reports about its provisions, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all three, establishing a collective-defence mechanism similar in principle to NATO’s Article 5.

The agreement comes as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan seek to deepen their security and defence cooperation amid heightened tensions involving Israel and Iran and broader instability across the Middle East.

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