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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad on Friday and briefed him on a recently signed defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, according to a statement issued by the Presidency.
For his part, President Zardari “expressed his best wishes for the effective implementation of the tripartite agreement with regard to defence cooperation, regional peace and stability and promotion of the security of the Muslim ummah”, the Presidency’s statement on its X account said.
He also appreciated PM Shehbaz’s and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir’s efforts for “further strengthening the longstanding fraternal relations between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan into a robust strategic partnership”, the statement added.
The joint defence agreement, signed on August 7 in Makkah, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empowers its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.
