{
  "id": 9818732,
  "title": "Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish military chiefs meet to discuss ways to assist Riyadh under Makkah defence pact",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/pakistani-saudi-turkish-military-chiefs-meet-to-discuss-ways-to-9818732",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T19:21:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2032546/pakistani-saudi-turkish-military-chiefs-meet-to-discuss-ways-to-assist-riyadh-under-makkah-defence-pact"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan convened military chiefs' talks on Friday to explore ways to assist Riyadh under the Makkah Defence Alliance. Turkish Defence Ministry released photos of the three military officials in uniform, confirming the meeting took place, though the location remained undisclosed. Turkey's Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu was set to attend the meeting in Saudi Arabia. The gathering occurred amid escalating tensions between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade and targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea. Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi soil further fueled concerns.\n\nEarlier, Pakistan's Foreign Office mentioned that the three nations were considering a military chiefs' meeting to evaluate assistance options for Riyadh under the Makkah pact. The FO statement followed a discussion between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey at the UN General Assembly in New York. The FO emphasized the tripartite agreement's stipulation that an attack against any member would be considered an attack against all members. The ministers strongly condemned the attacks on Makkah and its civilian and economic facilities, reaffirming Saudi Arabia's right to defend its security under the UN Charter.\n\nDuring the New York meeting, the foreign ministers reaffirmed the importance of international law, good neighborliness, mutual respect for state sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs. They also stressed their commitment to achieving regional peace and stability, de-escalation, and peaceful crisis resolution. The ministers reviewed progress in establishing the Makkah Defence Alliance's secretariat and committees, as well as preparations for their work commencement. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and King Salman had previously expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, condemning the Houthis as a \"terrorist militia\" and vowing to defend the kingdom's security.",
  "summary": "Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan held military chiefs of staff talks on Friday with the objective to explore ways to assist Riyadh under the Makkah Defence Alliance. The Turkish defence ministry published photographs of the three military officials in uniform, stating that the meeting had taken place, without disclosing where. However, Turkiye’s Defence Ministry earlier said its Chief of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "Turkish parliament speaker: Mecca defense pact could expand to wider Islamic alliance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/turkish-parliament-speaker-mecca-defense-pact-could-expand-to-wider",
        "published": "2026-09-25T19:03:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish military chiefs meet to discuss ways to assist Riyadh under Makkah defence pact",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/pakistani-saudi-turkish-military-chiefs-meet-to-discuss-ways-to",
        "published": "2026-09-25T19:07:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}