The first meeting of a committee set up specifically for the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement will be held in Istanbul on Monday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu will host their Pakistani and Saudi counterparts for the meeting.
The Strategic Political and Defense Committee, as it was called by Turkish diplomatic sources, will discuss international security issues, sources said on Sunday.
“The participants will also discuss such issues as developing defense capabilities, promoting greater interoperability among the armed forces of the three countries, deepening cooperation in the defense industry, including joint production and research and development, and strengthening joint efforts in the fight against terrorism,” sources said.
The agreement, signed in the birthplace of Islam in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 7, expands the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan alliance to include Türkiye, and the parties to the agreement hope other countries, especially Muslim-majority ones, will join the alliance in the future. Although it comes amid the U.S.-Iran war, which has also affected regional countries, and Israel’s relentless expansionist campaign spanning Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, the agreement does not target any country specifically and merely aims to serve as a deterrent to any power threatening them, according to proponents of the pact.
Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is open to expansion, with Egypt a potential candidate, and does not seek to replace existing alliances.
Sources said the meeting is expected to be attended by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir; and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
The meeting is also expected to establish the framework for a Secretariat and other relevant mechanisms to guide work in areas of joint activity identified by the committee, as well as to determine a road map for steps to be taken in the coming period.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to once again emphasize that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement offers significant opportunities to all countries seeking to reinforce security, peace and stability in the region, adopt a cooperative approach to security issues, and prioritize peace and prosperity over conflict, diplomatic sources said.
The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the signatory states will be considered an attack against all parties, sources highlighted.
Aiming to foster a new culture of cooperation in the region, the agreement is open to the participation of all actors that respect international law and share a vision of peaceful cooperation, sources also said.
