Top officials from the countries party to the historic Mecca Joint Defense Agreement convened in Istanbul on Monday on the occasion of the first meeting of the Strategic, Political and Defense Committee established to advance the deal.

Speaking after the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said they decided to name the alliance as Mecca Defense Alliance. He said the first secretary-general of the alliance would be a Pakistani official and the secretariat's offices will be based in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia.

Fidan stated that the alliance will seek establishing a security architecture. In response to questions, he said they were open to expansion, underlining that its main purpose was to include more countries. He said that the alliance would reduce uncertainty, instability in the region and they hoped that it would be key to peace. In response to a question, Fidan slammed the Israeli administration, singling out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "This murderer should be stopped. He is the common enemy of the humanity," he said.

The committee is expected to provide strategic direction to activities to be carried out under the agreement and comprises the foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Following a family photo, the meeting began with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, and Chief of the General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, and Chief of the General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.

The meeting is expected to address international security issues, as well as the development of defense capabilities, in this context, 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.

The meeting is also expected to outline the framework for a secretariat and other relevant mechanisms that will guide work in the areas of joint activity to be identified by the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, as well as establish a road map for steps to be taken in the period ahead.

The meeting is expected to provide an opportunity to reiterate that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement offers significant opportunities to all countries seeking to strengthen security, peace, and stability in the region, to address issues through a cooperative approach to security, and to prioritize peace and prosperity over conflict.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the "Joint Defense Agreement" in Mecca on August 7.

The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the participating states shall be considered an attack against all parties.