New security alliance: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to discuss military cooperation
The foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of staff of the three countries will participate tomorrow in Istanbul in the first meeting of the committee established under the "Mecca Agreement". On the agenda: joint exercises, improving coordination between the armies, and joint development of weaponry. The agreement stipulates that an attack against one of the countries will be considered an attack against all of them.
Senior officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will convene tomorrow, Monday, in Istanbul for the first meeting of the committee established under the "Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense," which the three countries signed earlier this month. This was reported today by a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry to the Reuters news agency.
The meeting is expected to be attended by the foreign and defense ministers of the three countries, alongside their chiefs of staff or heads of joint staffs. According to the Turkish source, issues concerning international security will be on the agenda. The participants will also discuss strengthening defense capabilities, improving the ability of the armies to operate together, and deepening cooperation between defense industries, including the joint development and production of weapon systems.
This will be the first meeting of the political-military mechanism intended to turn the commitments included in the agreement into practical action plans. Among other things, the countries are expected to examine the conduct of command-post exercises and, subsequently, joint training of land, air, and sea forces. Other areas included in the plans are air defense, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and capabilities based on artificial intelligence.
The "Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense" was signed on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The core of the agreement is a commitment that an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them — a principle similar in essence to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
However, the details of the response mechanism have not yet been fully published. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan previously explained that the assistance to a country that is attacked will be determined according to the nature of the threat and may include intelligence sharing, logistical support, supply of ammunition, and even direct military aid.
The new alliance was established against the backdrop of regional turmoil and the war with Iran, which, among other things, led to missile fire towards oil exporters in the Gulf and disruptions in global energy supplies. According to Reuters, the three countries also share concerns regarding the activities and military positions of Iran and Israel in the region.
Ankara, Riyadh, and Islamabad emphasize that the agreement is defensive in nature and is not directed against any specific country. Turkey also clarified that it is not intended to replace NATO, of which it is a member, but to complement existing security frameworks. Alongside this, the three countries have left the door open for the expansion of the alliance in the future. Egypt has been mentioned as a possible candidate for joining, and Bangladesh has also announced that it is examining the matter.
