Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to hold Makkah pact meeting in Riyadh
Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir will represent Pakistan as the three countries review regional security and cooperation under the defence agreement
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee formed under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement will meet in Riyadh on Monday, with Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia set to discuss regional security developments and the alliance’s institutionalisation.
Pakistan’s delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to the Foreign Office.
The meeting comes amid escalating tensions involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement. Pakistan has said Iran suggested pursuing political engagement with the Houthis following recent attacks, with the proposal expected to be among the issues discussed by the committee.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will attend alongside officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The committee will also review progress in establishing the alliance’s institutional framework, following its first meeting in Istanbul on August 31.
Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. The pact provides for collective defence, with an armed attack against one member to be treated as an attack against all three.
The Riyadh meeting follows talks among the three countries’ military chiefs on September 25, when they discussed the security situation and Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.
