ISTANBUL — The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement began in Istanbul on Monday, bringing together the foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.Türkiye is hosting the inaugural session of the committee, which was created to provide strategic direction for activities carried out under the agreement signed by the leaders of the three countries earlier this month.The Saudi delegation includes Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fayyadh Al-Ruwaili.Türkiye is represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, while Pakistan is represented by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.The meeting began following a family photo of the participating delegations.Discussions are expected to cover international security developments, strengthening defense capabilities and increasing interoperability among the armed forces of the three countries.Officials are also expected to discuss expanding defense industry cooperation, including joint production and research and development, as well as strengthening joint counterterrorism efforts.The committee is also expected to define the framework for a secretariat and other mechanisms that will coordinate work in areas identified under the agreement and set out a roadmap for future cooperation.The meeting is expected to reaffirm the agreement's aim of promoting security, peace and stability through a cooperative regional security framework and strengthening collective deterrence.Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in Makkah on Aug. 7.The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all parties.It also provides for broader cooperation with actors that respect international law and share the three countries' vision of peaceful regional cooperation.