Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to strengthen their partnership through high-level coordination, joint military exercises and expanded industry cooperation under a trilateral agreement, Türkiye’s Defence Ministry said Thursday.
The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the signing.
The agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three.
Speaking at a weekly briefing in Ankara, the Turkish Defence Ministry said the agreement aims to place military and defence relations between the three countries on a more institutionalised and sustainable footing.
It said the pact envisages strategic political and military mechanisms involving defence and foreign ministers as well as chiefs of general staff or armed forces commanders, allowing the three countries to coordinate at the highest levels.
The ministry said the countries also plan to conduct joint exercises involving their land, naval and air forces, along with air defence and unmanned systems.
Defence industry collaboration will extend beyond the supply of military equipment and systems to joint research and development, production, technology partnerships, maintenance and logistical support. Unmanned and autonomous platforms, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence are expected to receive particular attention.
Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has said the agreement remains open to other countries and is not intended to replace existing alliances. Egypt has been identified as a potential future participant.
The Turkish ministry also said Ankara was taking part in meetings in Jeddah focused on creating an international coalition to safeguard commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
