Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Saudi and Turkish counterparts on Friday to review progress on establishing the institutional structure of the tripartite Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Dar met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The three countries signed the agreement on August 7, establishing a collective-defence framework under which an attack against one member would be treated as an attack against all.
Officials subsequently held their inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, while Pakistan was selected to head the alliance’s secretariat in Riyadh. Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood became its first secretary general on September 23.
Three Countries Discuss Response to Houthi Attacks
According to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, the three sides condemned recent Houthi attacks against the kingdom and discussed convening an urgent meeting of their military chiefs.
The ministry said the participants praised Saudi forces for defending the kingdom and reiterated Riyadh’s right to take measures it considers appropriate in self-defence.
Furthermore, they reviewed progress on establishing the alliance’s secretariat, committees and working groups.
Military Chiefs to Meet in Saudi Arabia
Türkiye’s Defence Ministry later announced that Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts under the defence agreement.
The meeting follows Saudi Arabia’s reported interception of six ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the three foreign ministers stressed international law, respect for sovereignty, non-interference and freedom of maritime navigation.
They also reiterated their stated commitment to regional peace and peaceful solutions to existing crises.
Pakistan has separately reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi security, with senior civilian and military officials publicly pledging support for the kingdom amid the continuing regional tensions.
