Turkish, Saudi, Pakistani ministers to hold first defence pact meeting
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are convening in Istanbul to formalize a new regional defence pact known as the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The meeting aims to establish a strategic committee to address regional security threats and enhance military interoperability.
Why it matters
This alliance represents a significant shift in regional power dynamics, uniting major military and nuclear-armed powers in response to regional instability and conflict.
Turkey will host Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for the first ministerial meeting of their new regional defence grouping on Monday (August 31, 2026), Turkish sources said Sunday (August 30).
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed earlier this month, commits the three countries to mutual defence in the event of any of them being attacked.
The pact came against a backdrop of war between the United States and Iran and attacks in the region from Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.
The meeting in Istanbul will set up a "political and defence strategic committee" involving foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.
The agreement unites NATO's second-largest army, Turkey, with the Islamic world's only nuclear-armed state, Pakistan, and the leading Gulf power in Saudi Arabia.
Monday's (August 31) meeting will be chaired by the Turkish foreign and defence ministers as well as the chief of the general staff.
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