CDF Asim Munir, Saudi defence minister discuss Makkah pact

RIYADH: Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has reaffirmed continued cooperation with Pakistan to counter attacks targeting Makkah and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure.

Khalid held a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Riyadh. The two officials discussed matters of mutual interest, with particular focus on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

The meeting followed a high-level gathering of military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Riyadh. The commanders reviewed the security situation and discussed ways to strengthen coordination among the three countries under the defence pact.

In a statement, Khalid said the two sides reviewed the outcomes of the trilateral military meeting and discussed attacks targeting Makkah as well as civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom.

He reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would continue joint efforts to address such threats in accordance with the commitments made under the Makkah agreement.

Several senior Saudi officials attended the meeting, including Minister of State and National Security Adviser Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Chief of General Staff Gen Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and Defence Minister’s adviser for intelligence affairs Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Saif.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in August. The agreement states that aggression against either country would be treated as aggression against both.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye subsequently formalised a trilateral security framework through the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The pact seeks to strengthen military cooperation, collective defence coordination and regional security.