Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold their first committee meeting under a joint defense accord in Istanbul on Monday. Foreign and defense ministers and the chiefs of staff will attend, and the agenda includes international security issues, defense capabilities, interoperability and defense-industry cooperation. The accord, signed on Aug. 7, says an armed attack on one will be treated as an attack on all. Turkey said the pact is open to expansion and does not replace existing alliances.
From left, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7. AFP-Yonhap
ISTANBUL — Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for a first committee meeting under the joint defense accord that they signed this month, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
The "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," signed on Aug. 7, brought together Sunni Muslim U.S. allies concerned by the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters.
It is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause.
