Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will discuss joint defence, military coordination, counterterrorism and defence industry cooperation in Istanbul.
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Makkah Mutual Defence Pact between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be held in Istanbul on Aug. 31, bringing senior political, defence and military officials from the three countries together for talks on regional security.
Foreign and defence ministers, along with senior military leaders, will attend the meeting, which is being hosted by Türkiye. Discussions will cover joint defence, defence industry cooperation, counterterrorism, military coordination and major regional and global security developments.
Türkiye will be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Pakistan’s delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Saudi Arabia will be represented by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
According to sources, the committee will review the regional and global security situation and examine measures to strengthen the defence capabilities of the three countries.
The participants are expected to consider greater operational coordination among their armed forces, including the possibility of joint military exercises and enhanced interoperability.
Defence industry cooperation will also feature prominently on the agenda. The three countries are expected to explore collaboration in joint defence production, research and development, and defence technology.
Counterterrorism cooperation will be another key area of discussion, with the participants expected to identify additional ways to strengthen joint efforts against terrorism.
The meeting is also expected to consider establishing a secretariat and other institutional mechanisms to oversee projects and activities agreed under the committee. The three countries may also work toward a comprehensive roadmap for future cooperation.
What is the Makkah Mutual Defence Pact?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mutual Defence Pact in Makkah on Aug. 7.
The agreement was reached amid growing regional and global instability and is based on the principles of shared responsibility and regional ownership.
Its stated objective is to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity while strengthening the collective defence capabilities and deterrence of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Under a key provision, an attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three parties, establishing a collective security framework for defence cooperation.
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