Mecca Pact enters founding phase as Turkey says core structure forming

On Monday, the leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye convened for the inaugural meeting under their Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul. The Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff from Pakistan, alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Defence Minister, represented Pakistan at the meeting.

Prior to the trilateral pact's first gathering, the signatories engaged in numerous bilateral meetings in Istanbul. The Turkish National Defence Minister met with the Chief of Defence Forces, and the Turkish minister also held a separate conference with the Pakistan Defence Minister, alongside the Chief of General Staff.

The meetings, reported by Radio Pakistan, resulted in a commitment to enhance joint defence cooperation in the region. The upcoming Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, is set to meet today with Pakistan represented by the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Chief of Defence Forces.

Pakistan's involvement in the meeting underscores the nation's enduring bonds of friendship with Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, along with a commitment to regional peace and stability, as stated by the Foreign Office.

The maiden ministerial meeting of the three nations since the recent signing of the Makkah pact is considered the inaugural step towards establishing a framework for trilateral strategic and defence cooperation. Discussions will revolve around bolstering defence capabilities, improving the interoperability of armed forces, and fostering cooperation within the defence industry.

Additionally, the meeting aims to outline the framework for a secretariat and other pertinent mechanisms, as well as lay out a roadmap for future actions. The joint defence pact, signed on August 7, empowers the member states to consider an attack on one as an attack on all.