Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement"

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey have signed a defence agreement called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The pact is described as defensive in nature and ties together the three countries. According to Middle East Eye, a Turkish spokesperson said the deal is not against any particular actor.

The agreement states that an armed attack on any of the three signatories will be treated as an attack on all, creating a collective-defense framework. Newsweek reports that this arrangement is intended to strengthen cooperation among the three influential powers at a moment of mounting regional turmoil.

The announcement comes amid a widening regional crisis fueled by the war involving Iran. The New Voice of Ukraine and Reuters reported that the agreement was signed in Mecca. The pact raises the stakes for any future attack on Saudi Arabia, potentially drawing Turkey and Pakistan into any future crisis involving the kingdom.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, Newsweek, CBS News, New Voice of Ukraine — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.