‘Makkah Defence Alliance’ holds first meeting in Istanbul

ISTANBUL -- The first meeting of the committee established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was held in Istanbul on Monday, with the foreign and defence ministers and military leadership of all three countries in attendance.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the objective of the meeting was to promote regional peace and stability.

Fidan said the participants discussed various measures aimed at establishing the alliance’s institutional framework, expressing confidence that the decisions taken at the meeting would produce tangible results.

He said the alliance between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia was based on international law and was not directed against any particular state.

“We have started establishing the structure of the alliance,” Mr Fidan said, adding that various measures for institution-building had been discussed.

He said work was also under way on a roadmap for allowing additional countries to join the agreement.

The Turkish foreign minister announced that the three-country agreement would be known as the ‘Makkah Defence Alliance’, adding that its first secretary-general would be from Pakistan.

The meeting’s agenda included determining shared responsibilities amid growing regional and global tensions, discussing regional and international security issues, and exploring ways to further strengthen the defence capabilities of the three countries.

The participants also discussed enhancing coordination among the armed forces of the three countries, as well as cooperation in joint production, research and development in the defence industry.

Joint efforts to make the fight against terrorism more effective were also discussed during the meeting.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement aims to promote security, peace, stability and prosperity while strengthening the countries’ joint defence capabilities and collective deterrence.

Under the agreement, an attack on any one of the three member states will be considered an attack on all three.