The newly signed defense pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan heralds not only a strong new security alliance but a multidimensional partnership that could help unlock new economic and investment opportunities across a wider region, analysts say.
The trio, which already harbors robust defense ties, inked on Friday in the Muslim holy city of Mecca the agreement, which stipulates that an armed attack on one signatory would count as an attack on all.
And while the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, the deal is not merely seen as a collective defense commitment but as a step that brings Ankara, Riyadh and Islamabad even closer.
Recent years have witnessed Ankara building on defense cooperation with both. In 2023, Riyadh agreed to buy Turkish drones in what Ankara called its largest defense export contract.
Similarly, Türkiye and Pakistan have expanded defense cooperation through naval projects, military training and other joint programs. In 2018, the duo launched the MILGEM project that foresees the delivery of four corvettes to Pakistan's Navy, two of which, made in Türkiye, have already entered the force.
