Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan to sign joint defence pact amid regional escalation

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on Friday signed a joint defence agreement that would treat an attack on one as an attack on all three, officials said, solidifying cooperation between the three regional powers.The move comes amid a rise in wars, conflicts and military tensions in the region, specifically the war between the United States and Iran, which has drawn in Gulf states and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.The deal stipulates that an armed attack on either of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against them all.It was signed during a meeting in Saudi Arabia between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in Jeddah.According to a joint statement, “The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that any armed attack against any one…