Dar, Saudi counterpart discuss Makkah Defence Alliance

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan on Sunday, discussing the implementation of commitments made during the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance, according to the Foreign Office. The defense pact, which also involves Turkey, was signed on August 7 and allows member states to consider an attack on one as an attack on all.

The alliance held its inaugural meeting on August 31 in Istanbul. In a social media post, the FO stated that Dar and Prince Faisal discussed regional and international developments, as well as matters of mutual interest at multilateral forums. They also agreed to maintain close contact on the follow-up to the strategic political and defense committee's meetings, which took place in Istanbul.

This trilateral agreement, signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is open to any regionally committed country. Dar's phone call with his Saudi counterpart occurred a week after the first Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting in Istanbul, where the three countries and their top military officials decided to further institutionalize cooperation to enhance collective deterrence and defense.

The alliance's secretariat was initially designated for Pakistan to lead for three years, with its headquarters in Saudi Arabia. On the same day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty invited Dar to visit Egypt at his earliest convenience. During their call, they discussed Egypt-Pakistan bilateral relations and regional and international developments.

They reaffirmed their commitment to regional security engagement and agreed to meet during the United Nations General Assembly this month. Pakistan and Egypt are members of the R-4 Group, a regional alliance that includes Saudi Arabia and Turkey.