Saudi Arabia, Turkey And Pakistan Sign Mutual Defence Pact

August 8, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a defence agreement committing the three countries to treat an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all three, deepening security co-operation among three of the Muslim world’s most militarily significant states. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was announced following a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca.

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and calls for closer defence co-operation among the three countries. It does not, however, specify the military obligations each country would assume if another member were attacked. A Turkish official quoted by Reuters described the agreement as "purely defensive in nature".

The pact comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions following attacks involving Iran, Israel and the United States and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Iran has reacted sharply to the new agreement. Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, said on X that the pact would not provide Saudi Arabia with greater security. "The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan does not bring them security," Rezaei said.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already agreed to a joint defence pact last year, making the Mecca agreement an expansion of security co-operation beyond their bilateral relationship. The three countries bring different military and strategic capabilities to the new arrangement. Pakistan has one of the region’s largest armed forces and is a nuclear-armed state, Turkey is a major NATO military power with a growing domestic defence industry, while Saudi Arabia is a major regional military spender and an important economic power.

Source: FSX Business News