MECCA — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all, deepening security cooperation among the regional powers amid heightened Middle East tensions.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to statements issued by the three governments.
The agreement commits the three countries to strengthen cooperation and deterrence and establishes a collective-defence principle similar in broad terms to mutual-defence arrangements used by other alliances. The pact does not, however, publicly set out detailed military obligations or specify what form assistance would take following an attack.
The deal brings together Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer and U.S. security partner; Turkey, a NATO member with one of the alliance's largest militaries and a growing defence industry; and Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state with extensive military experience. The three countries have maintained growing defence ties through military cooperation, arms relationships and diplomatic coordination.
The agreement comes as regional security concerns have intensified, particularly following the wider conflict involving Iran and continuing uncertainty over security in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has faced heightened concerns over missile and other attacks in the region, while Turkey and Pakistan have sought closer strategic coordination with Riyadh.
The signatories described the arrangement as defensive and said it was not directed against a particular country. Iranian officials criticized the agreement, according to reports, arguing that new alliances would not provide lasting security.
The pact also represents a significant expansion of Saudi-Pakistani defence cooperation and adds Turkey to a formal trilateral security framework. Officials have emphasized closer coordination rather than the creation of a new military bloc.
The agreement was signed on Aug. 7 and takes effect as the three governments seek to strengthen regional security cooperation during a period of continuing instability.
