‘Landmark’ Makkah defense pact rooted in ‘sense of responsibility’ not confrontation, says envoy

NEW YORK CITY: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, described a newly signed trilateral defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as “one of the most important events in recent weeks,” and told Arab News it represents a landmark in regional security cooperation. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, builds on the September 2025 Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.

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