Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed Monday to further institutionalize their defense cooperation under the Mecca Agreement, taking new steps aimed at strengthening solidarity and boosting the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defense, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.
The agreement came during a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul, bringing together the three countries' foreign and defense ministers as well as their chiefs of defense forces and general staff.
The meeting marked a push by Ankara, Islamabad and Riyadh to transform their trilateral defense cooperation into a more structured framework focused on collective deterrence, defense capabilities and regional security.
Under the measures agreed Monday, the three countries will establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia to support and coordinate cooperation under the Makkah Agreement.
The secretariat will initially be led by a secretary-general from Pakistan for a three-year term, the joint statement said.
