Senior military and government officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to meet in Istanbul on Monday for the first formal session of a committee established under their new
joint defence agreement, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry source.
The meeting follows the signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The accord represents a significant step towards closer security coordination between three predominantly Muslim countries that are also longstanding partners of the United States.
The Istanbul gathering will bring together the foreign and defence ministers of the three countries, alongside their respective military chiefs of staff. Officials are expected to discuss a broad range of regional and international security challenges, as well as practical measures for implementing the new pact.
According to the Turkish source, the agenda will include efforts to strengthen the three countries' military capabilities, improve coordination and interoperability between their armed forces, and expand cooperation in the defence industry. Joint weapons production and the development of new defence technologies are also expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
The agreement commits the three countries to treating an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all three. The provision gives the pact a collective-defence character comparable in principle to NATO's Article 5, although the agreement operates independently of the Atlantic alliance.
The new security arrangement comes at a time of heightened instability across the Middle East. Ankara, Riyadh and Islamabad have been closely watching the escalating confrontation involving Iran and Israel, as well as the wider security consequences of the conflict for Gulf states and international energy markets.
The three governments have expressed concerns over regional military developments while maintaining different strategic relationships with Washington. The United States remains an important security partner for both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, while Turkey is a NATO member with one of the alliance's largest armed forces.
The agreement also reflects growing interest among regional powers in developing their own mechanisms for collective security as conflicts and geopolitical rivalries reshape the Middle East.
Turkey has stressed that the pact is not intended to replace existing alliances or security partnerships. Turkish officials have also indicated that the framework could eventually be expanded to include additional countries.
Egypt has emerged as one possible future participant, potentially giving the arrangement a broader regional dimension if Cairo were to join.
For now, Monday's Istanbul meeting will focus on turning the political commitments made in Mecca into a more structured system of military and defence cooperation. The outcome could provide an early indication of how far the three countries intend to take their new security partnership.
