On Monday, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to discuss enhancing military and defense cooperation between Riyadh and Islamabad, alongside regional developments. This meeting marks the beginning of implementing the 'Mecca Joint Defense Agreement' between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
The meeting took place in Istanbul, alongside the inaugural session of the Political and Defense Strategic Committee, which emerged from the trilateral agreement signed on August 7.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Khalid bin Salman and Asim Munir explored "prospects of military and defense cooperation between the two brotherly countries" and discussed regional developments and efforts related to them.
Turkey is hosting the first meeting of the Political and Defense Strategic Committee, a key mechanism for executing the joint defense agreement between the three nations.
The committee is expected to include foreign and defense ministers and army chiefs from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, tasked with outlining the strategic direction for activities and steps to be implemented under the agreement.
This meeting holds significant importance as it is the first high-level institutional move since the signing of the agreement. It aims to transition the tripartite defense cooperation from a political framework to establishing shared mechanisms and directions for execution.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the 'Mecca Joint Defense Agreement' in Mecca on August 7.
The agreement is based on the concept of joint security and burden-sharing. It aims to enhance defense cooperation and maintain peace and stability regionally and internationally, as announced upon signing.
A key provision of the agreement includes strengthening collective deterrence among the three countries, treating any armed attack on Turkey, Saudi Arabia, or Pakistan as an attack on all three nations collectively.
This provision places the agreement within a framework beyond traditional military cooperation by establishing a mutual defense commitment among three countries with political, military, and geographical significance in the Middle East and South Asia.
The Istanbul meeting occurs amid rapid security developments in the region, with attention focused on the practical steps the new committee will approve to translate the Mecca Agreement into joint defense arrangements between Ankara, Riyadh, and Islamabad.