The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, created under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, was convened in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Monday.
Pakistan was represented at the high-level 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.
Senior officials from Türkiye and Saudi Arabia also participated, including their foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of general staff.
Pakistan’s involvement underscores its longstanding ties with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its stated commitment to promoting peace, security and stability across the region.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on August 7 by Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. The pact seeks to enhance collective defence and deterrence, with a provision that an armed assault on one member would be treated as an attack on all three, broadly resembling NATO’s collective-defence principle under Article 5.
Speaking to reporters after the committee’s first session, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said work was underway to develop a roadmap for allowing additional countries to participate in the joint defence framework.
Fidan said the committee’s objective was to contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, expressing confidence that the decisions reached during the meeting would produce tangible outcomes.
He added that the committee would define the responsibilities of the three countries amid rising regional and international tensions.
The discussions are also covering regional and global security developments, ways to improve the defence capabilities of the three member states, and greater coordination between their armed forces.
According to Fidan, strengthening joint defence capabilities and collective deterrence remains a central objective of the agreement.
The agenda further includes expanding cooperation in counterterrorism, assessing collaboration in the defence industry, and exploring opportunities for joint production as well as research and development.
The committee is also considering proposals for creating a permanent secretariat and other institutional mechanisms to coordinate and oversee activities under the defence agreement.
