The trilateral defence arrangement between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has been renamed as the “Makkah Defence Alliance”, with Pakistan set to provide the alliance’s first secretary general.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, Fidan said the alliance’s permanent secretariat would be based in Riyadh.
The grouping was previously referred to as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which was signed by the three countries earlier this month.
Fidan said the participating states were preparing a roadmap outlining procedures for other countries to join the defence framework.
According to the Turkish foreign minister, the committee’s inaugural session was focused on advancing regional peace, stability and economic prosperity. He said the decisions reached during the meeting were expected to translate into practical outcomes.
The talks also sought to establish areas of responsibility among the three partners amid increasing regional and international security challenges, he added.
Fidan said the committee discussed developments affecting global and regional security, measures to improve the defence capabilities of the three countries and ways to increase coordination between their armed forces.
He described stronger collective defence capabilities and deterrence as key objectives of the alliance.
The agenda also covered closer cooperation in counterterrorism, defence production, joint research and development, and opportunities for joint manufacturing in the defence sector.
The Turkish minister said the countries would also work to create an institutional framework, including a secretariat and other mechanisms needed to coordinate activities under the alliance.
Fidan stressed that the alliance was not established against any particular country. He said friendly states willing to uphold its principles could potentially become part of the arrangement.
Pakistan was represented at the Istanbul meeting by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The meeting also brought together the foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of general staff from Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s involvement underlines its longstanding ties with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its stated commitment to promoting peace and stability across the region.
The defence agreement, signed on August 7, established a framework for collective security cooperation among the three Muslim-majority countries. Under the agreement, an armed attack against one member is to be treated as an attack against all three, reflecting a collective-defence principle comparable to NATO’s Article 5.
The pact emerged amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the outbreak of war on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran and targeted senior Iranian leadership.
On the sidelines of the committee’s inaugural session, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman held talks with Field Marshal Asim Munir on strengthening military and defence ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In a post on X, the Saudi defence minister said the discussions covered developments in the regional situation and ongoing efforts to address emerging challenges.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif met his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, in Istanbul. The two sides agreed to further expand defence cooperation and coordination.
