MECCA — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement on Friday that commits the three countries to treating an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all, strengthening security ties among three major Muslim-majority states amid heightened regional tensions.
The agreement, signed in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is known as the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, according to statements from the three governments.
The pact is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and defense cooperation, the countries said. Its collective-defense provision represents a significant expansion of security coordination between Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad, although the joint statement did not specify what military action each country would be required to take if another member were attacked.
The agreement comes as the Middle East faces heightened security risks following the conflict involving Iran, with missile attacks affecting Gulf states and disruptions to regional energy and shipping routes. Saudi Arabia has faced particular pressure to reinforce its defenses and broaden security partnerships.
The new arrangement also builds on an existing Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, signed in September 2025. That agreement similarly states that aggression against either country would be considered aggression against both.
Turkey brings extensive military capabilities and a large defense industry to the new partnership, while Pakistan contributes one of the region's largest armed forces and is the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country. Saudi Arabia provides substantial financial and defense-industrial resources. The three countries have also expanded cooperation in military technology, training and defense production in recent years.
Officials have emphasized that the new agreement is defensive and is not intended to establish a military bloc against a particular country. The pact nevertheless marks a further step toward greater regional security coordination outside traditional reliance on Western partners.
The precise legal and operational obligations created by the agreement were not immediately made public. For now, the three governments have confirmed the collective-defense principle and the broader goal of strengthening cooperation and deterrence.
