Officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan to Meet in Istanbul

Top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for their first meeting since signing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement earlier this month. Turkish officials stated that the meeting will include foreign ministers, defence ministers, and chiefs of staff from the three nations. According to AFP, the Istanbul meeting will formally establish a political and defence strategic committee comprised of representatives from each country. Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, quoted by Reuters, indicated that the agenda will cover international security issues, as well as discussions on improving military cooperation and capabilities. The Mecca agreement forms a collective security pact similar to NATO, under which an attack on one member could be considered an attack on all. This alliance was established following the United States-Israel war on Iran. Turkiye possesses the second-largest military in NATO, Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country, and Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading oil exporter. In an August interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned that Egypt could potentially join the pact. Bangladesh has also expressed interest in joining the agreement. The potential expansion is being closely monitored by India, whose Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that New Delhi would take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security.