Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to hold first defence committee meeting under Mecca pact

Istanbul is hosting the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed earlier this month. Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will be discussing “international security issues” on Monday, August 31, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.

It is expected to be attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. Pakistan is expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili are also due to attend.

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The discussion is expected to cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their ‌armed ⁠forces and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development. They will also discuss counter terrorism efforts. The meeting is expected to introduce a bureaucracy, an administrative secretariat and other relevant mechanisms that will guide work in areas of joint activity, as will be determined by the Strategic and Political Defence Committee. It will also establish a roadmap for steps to be taken in the coming period.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia on August 7, is supposedly based on a shared sense of responsibility in their region and growing international instability. The pact has a NATO-like stipulation that an attack on one will be considered an attack against all parties.