Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a landmark mutual defense agreement pledging collective action if any one of the three countries comes under armed attack. The deal, signed Friday in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, comes as regional powers seek to strengthen security cooperation amid the ongoing war involving Iran and growing instability across the Middle East.
According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the agreement is designed to reinforce collective deterrence against external aggression. Under its terms, "any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all." The ministry said the pact aims to deepen security cooperation among the three Sunni-majority allies.
Turkish officials emphasized that the agreement is strictly defensive and is not directed against any specific country or actor. They also said the pact does not replace or override existing bilateral or multilateral defense agreements involving any of the three nations. Instead, it complements current security arrangements and remains open to other regional countries interested in joining.
