Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to hold first defense pact meeting

Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for a first committee meeting under the joint defense accord that they signed this month, a ‌Turkish foreign ministry source said.

The "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement", signed on August 7, brought together Sunni Muslim U.S. allies concerned by the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters.

It is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act ⁠of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause.

Foreign and defense ministers, as well as the chiefs of staff, of the three countries will attend the meeting in Istanbul, the ministry source said.

"International security issues will be on the agenda," the source said, with discussions expected to cover enhancing defense capabilities, greater interoperability among their ‌armed ⁠forces and deepening cooperation in the defense industry, including joint production and development.

Reuters