Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that the tripartite defence agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia would be formally known as the “Makkah Defence Alliance”.
He made the announcement at a press conference following the first meeting held under the agreement in Istanbul on Monday.
Pakistan was represented at the meeting by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Foreign and defence ministers from the three countries, along with senior military officials, attended the meeting and posed for a group photograph at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace.
Fidan said Türkiye hosted the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the agreement.
He said the discussions focused on concrete measures required to implement the pact, with participants exchanging views on the next steps.
“As of today, we have started the process of establishing the institutional structure of the alliance,” Fidan said.
He announced that the agreement would officially be called the “Makkah Defence Alliance”.
According to Fidan, a secretariat has been established in Riyadh and the alliance’s first secretary general will be appointed from Pakistan.
He said the meeting also discussed the timeline and procedures for institutionalising the alliance, with representatives of all three countries presenting their views.
Fidan expressed hope that the decisions reached during the meeting would produce positive results.
He said the alliance was intended to contribute to a secure, stable and prosperous region and would operate according to principles including respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in domestic affairs.
Fidan stressed that the alliance was not directed against any particular country and said it would remain open to the participation and partnership of other states.
According to Anadolu Agency, Türkiye was represented by Fidan, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
Saudi Arabia was represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
The trilateral meeting was held under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia on August 7. The pact provides that an attack on any one of the member states would be treated as an attack against all three.
The Foreign Office said on Sunday that the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee represented the first ministerial-level engagement under the agreement.
It said Pakistan’s participation reflected its longstanding relations with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its commitment to regional peace and stability.
According to AFP, the participants are expected to discuss strengthening defence capabilities, improving interoperability among their armed forces and expanding cooperation in the defence industry.
Turkish broadcaster TRT reported that the meeting was also expected to establish a framework for the alliance’s secretariat and other institutional mechanisms, as well as outline a roadmap for future cooperation.
The inaugural trilateral meeting was preceded by a series of bilateral engagements among officials from the three countries in Istanbul.
Field Marshal Asim Munir met Turkish National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler ahead of the meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence shared a video on X showing the two officials meeting in Istanbul.
Güler also held a separate meeting with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in the presence of Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
According to Radio Pakistan, Asif and Turkish officials agreed to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation in the region.
Fidan also met his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of the trilateral meeting.
The Turkish foreign minister had previously met Ishaq Dar on Sunday. The deputy prime minister and Field Marshal Asim Munir had arrived in Türkiye a day earlier.
