Turkish, Saudi, Pakistani officials to meet for first Mecca defense pact summit, source says

Turkish, Saudi, and Pakistani officials are set to convene in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of a committee established under a joint defense pact signed earlier this month, according to a Turkish foreign ministry source. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, inked on August 7, unites Sunni Muslim US allies grappling with the Iran war and regional instability that has resulted in Iranian missile strikes on Gulf oil producers.

The accord aims to bolster collective defense against any aggression, with an attack on one nation considered an attack on all, akin to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause. Foreign and defense ministers, as well as chiefs of staff, from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will participate in the meeting. The agenda will focus on bolstering defense capabilities, improving interoperability among the countries' armed forces, and deepening cooperation in the defense industry, including joint production and development.

All three nations share concerns about Israel's military actions and revolutionary Shi'ite Iran, as their longtime ally, the US, struggles to manage regional turmoil that has triggered a global energy crisis. Six months after the US and Israel initiated the war against Iran, negotiations are stalled, and the Trump administration has intensified efforts to impose financial sanctions on Iran, dubbed an "economic D-Day."

Turkey, NATO's second-largest military power, has indicated the agreement with nuclear-armed Pakistan and leading oil exporter Saudi Arabia is open to expansion, potentially including Egypt, and does not seek to supplant existing alliances.