Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye mull meeting of military chiefs to assist Riyadh under Makkah defence pact: FO

Pakistani, Turkish, and Saudi officials met on Friday to discuss setting up a meeting of their respective military chiefs to aid Riyadh under the Makkah Defence Alliance, according to the Foreign Office. The foreign ministers from the three countries condemned the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and emphasized the pact's mutual defense clause, which considers an attack on one party as an attack on all parties.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the pact's progress and regional security issues during their meeting in New York. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar later announced that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement's chief of general staff, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, would travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with his counterparts from Pakistan and Turkey.

The ministers reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's right to take measures to defend its security, as per Article 51 of the UN Charter, and underscored the importance of international law, good neighborliness, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. The meeting also reviewed the establishment of the general secretariat and committees under the Makkah agreement and preparations for their work to begin.