Turkish, Saudi, Pakistani ministers’ first Mecca defence pact meeting today: 10 things to know

On Monday, Turkish, Saudi, and Pakistani ministers will convene in Istanbul for the inaugural meeting of their newly established regional defense alliance, as reported by AFP. The gathering is set to take place after the signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement earlier this month and is expected to bring together top ministers and military officials from the three nations, including Pakistan's deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar.

The pact has been described as a NATO-style mutual-defense arrangement, with an attack on one member considered an attack on all.

The Mecca agreement commits Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to provide mutual defense support in the event of an attack on any one of the three countries. As tensions rise in the region, the agreement was reached amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, as well as attacks conducted by Houthi rebels backed by Tehran.

The Istanbul meeting is anticipated to result in the formation of a "political and defense strategic committee," which will include foreign and defense ministers, as well as military chiefs from all three participating countries.

The grouping consists of three significant military and regional powers, each with distinct strategic strengths. Turkiye boasts the second-largest army under NATO's umbrella, Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed state within the Islamic world, and Saudi Arabia is the dominant power in the Gulf. During the meeting, Turkey is expected to assume a central role, with the chairmanship rotating between the country's foreign and defense ministers and chief of the general staff.

Pakistan is anticipated to send a high-level delegation, with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and the defense minister representing Islamabad, alongside the defense minister and chief of the general staff from Saudi Arabia.