A defense agreement signed Friday in Mecca between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey “does not target any specific country,” Ankara said in a statement.
“The Mecca agreement, which does not target any specific country, will strengthen the joint security and collective deterrence of the three countries, significantly contributing to the defense of peace and stability in our region,” said Burhanettin Duran, communications director at the Turkish presidency, in a statement published on X.
According to a joint statement, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement aims to strengthen collective defense and security cooperation among Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, under a mutual defense clause that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
The three nations share growing concerns over Middle East chaos and the role of revolutionary Shi’ite Iran and an increasingly assertive Israel, as the United States struggles to contain regional threats.
Turkey brings NATO’s second-largest military to the partnership, while Saudi Arabia is the Gulf’s most powerful state, home to Islam’s holiest sites and one of the world’s leading oil exporters. Pakistan adds the distinction of being the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country.
