ISLAMABAD(National Times)-Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday signed a joint defence pact in Makkah that empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the \u201cMakkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence\u201d held at Al-Safa Palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three countries announced the signing of the agreement in a joint statement<\/a> published by the Foreign Office (FO) and Saudi Arabia\u2019s official SPA<\/em><\/a> press agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement said the pact reflected the three countries\u2019 \u201cshared 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\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also \u201cprovides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation\u201d among the three countries, the statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agreement is \u201cguided 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\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, the \u201cdistinguished relations\u201d between the three countries were reviewed, \u201calong with a number of issues of mutual interest\u201d, the statement noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The defence and foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye were in attendance as well, pictures showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sealing the agreement in Makkah, the holiest site in Islam, adds symbolic heft to a pact that builds on longstanding bilateral military ties among the three countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agreement ties together Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim country; Saudi Arabia, the home to Islam\u2019s holiest sites and one of the world\u2019s top oil exporters; and Turkiye, Nato\u2019s second-largest military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, while talking to a private TV channel, described the signing of the joint defence agreement between the three states as a \u201chistoric day\u201d for Pakistan, saying the pact reflected growing recognition of the country\u2019s defence capabilities and strengthened ties among the three nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about the agreement, Tarar said the defence cooperation framework would take relations between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to a new level. He credited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir with bringing the three countries together, saying they had an \u201cideal working relationship\u201d and that their teamwork had contributed to recent successes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tarar said the agreement was aimed at strengthening defence cooperation and served as a form of deterrence rather than aggression. The minister further said Pakistan\u2019s capabilities had been demonstrated during last year\u2019s conflict with India and claimed that the country had since played a role in promoting regional peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the agreement \u201cdoes not represent an effort to establish a military axis or a sectarian bloc\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNor is it linked to any nuclear ambitions or arms race; rather, it is focused on building sustainable capabilities,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that the deal \u201cdoes 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\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Saudi official further said the agreement \u201cdoes not supersede or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these countries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mansoor Ahmed, of the Australian National University\u2019s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said Islamabad and Ankara bring strong defence industries to the table, while Riyadh could contribute with technological spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the pact comes in the backdrop of the US-Israel war on Iran, Bloomberg<\/em> had reported<\/a> in January \u2014 before the conflict began \u2014 that Ankara was seeking to join a separate mutual defence pact between Islamabad and Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had already signed the \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement<\/u><\/a>\u201d in Riyadh last September, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In January, Reuters<\/em><\/a> quoted Defence Production Minister Raza Hayat Harraj as saying that a draft had been prepared after 10 months of talks. Turkish FM Hakan Fidan had said Ankara favoured an \u201cinclusive platform that creates wider, bigger cooperation and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan has also sought to mediate efforts to end the US-Iran war, while Turkiye has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three countries, along with Egypt, have been closely involved<\/a> in efforts<\/a> to promote regional stability and contain the regional upheaval sparked by the US-Iran war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The regional conflagration has rained missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters, with Iran targeting Gulf countries in retaliation for attacks carried out against it using US military bases in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The deal also comes as a 2022 truce between Riyadh and the Houthi rebels in Yemen has broken down<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the two sides traded fire<\/u><\/a> for the first time in years last month, Houthis declared a maritime blockade<\/a> against the kingdom, threatening access to its ports, and has claimed<\/a> to have attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan had condemned<\/a> the Houthis\u2019 threats to Saudi Arabia and to trading with the kingdom via the Red Sea. It also warned<\/a> that it had the right to self-defence if its \u201cmaritime interests\u201d were targeted in \u201cany hostile act\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the conflict expanded onto new fronts, Saudi Arabia last week unveiled plans<\/a> for a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea. Fourteen countries, including Pakistan, have voiced support for the coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crown Prince Salman held separate meetings with PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan at the Al-Safa Palace earlier in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DPM Dar, CDF Munir and Asif were also present in the meeting with PM Shehbaz, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Erdogan\u2019s office confirmed<\/a> on X that he also held a meeting with Crown Prince Salman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PM Shehbaz arrived<\/a> in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit on Thursday, while the Turkish president undertook a one-day visit today, Anadolu Agency<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Erdogan landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, from where he departed for Makkah by road, the Turkish news outlet reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PM Shehbaz had landed<\/a> in Jeddah on Thursday. CDF Munir later joined<\/a> the Pakistani delegation, which also included Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Friday morning, the delegation visited the Holy Kaaba and performed Umrah, the PMO said. PM Shehbaz is also expected to visit Masjid-i-Nabvi (PBUH) in Madina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\u2018Historic day for Pakistan\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Saudi crown prince meets PM Shehbaz, Erdogan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n