Türkiye spearheads new defence alliance

Türkiye has announced that the trilateral defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye will officially be known as the “Makkah Defence Alliance”, with Pakistan set to provide its first secretary general.

The announcement was made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday after the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the agreement.

The meeting in Istanbul marked the first formal step towards putting the trilateral defence arrangement into an institutional framework.

Pakistan was represented by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

Türkiye was represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu. Saudi Arabia’s delegation included Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.

Fidan said the three countries had discussed practical measures required to implement the defence agreement and had begun establishing its institutional structure.

He said a permanent secretariat had been established in Riyadh. The first secretary general of the alliance, he added, would be appointed from Pakistan.

The Turkish foreign minister said Monday’s meeting focused on determining how and when the alliance would be institutionalised. Representatives of all three countries shared their views on the proposed structure and future mechanisms.

Fidan said the alliance was aimed at contributing to a secure, stable and prosperous region. He stressed that the arrangement was based on principles including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.

He also clarified that the alliance was not directed against any particular country.

According to Fidan, the framework would remain open to other countries interested in joining. However, prospective members would have to meet certain conditions, rules and standards.

He said the alliance was expected to expand but stressed that it first needed to become properly functional and institutionalised.

Fidan further said membership in the new alliance would not replace or cancel the existing responsibilities of its members under other international agreements or alliances.

He said the three countries had demonstrated through the inaugural meeting that they were prepared to play a greater role in maintaining regional security and stability.

The agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three participating countries is to be treated as an attack against all three.

The first ministerial meeting is therefore being viewed as an important step towards establishing mechanisms for trilateral strategic and defence cooperation.

The participants are expected to work on strengthening defence capabilities, improving military interoperability and expanding cooperation in the defence industry.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed the inaugural meeting and said Islamabad’s participation reflected its longstanding ties with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its commitment to regional peace and stability.

Before the trilateral meeting, Field Marshal Asim Munir held talks with Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler. Khawaja Asif also met the Turkish defence leadership.

The bilateral discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation and coordination.