Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan set to hold first defence talks under Mecca pact

The meeting comes six months after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran, which has disrupted energy supplies and contributed to a global energy crisis.

In Short

• Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to hold first Mecca Pact meeting in Istanbul
• Foreign, defence ministers and military chiefs of three countries to attend talks
• Meeting to focus on defence strength, coordination and joint industry development

Senior officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Istanbul on Monday for the first committee meeting under their new joint defence agreement, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Reuters.

Foreign and defence ministers, along with the military chiefs of the three countries, will attend the meeting.

The talks are expected to focus on strengthening defence capabilities, improving coordination between their armed forces and expanding defence industry cooperation, including joint production and development.

"International security issues will be on the agenda," the source told Reuters.

The meeting comes six months after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran, which has disrupted energy supplies and contributed to a global energy crisis.

The three countries also share concerns over the military policies of both Israel and Iran, adding a wider regional security dimension to the talks.

WHAT IS THE MECCA DEFENCE AGREEMENT?

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 amid heightened regional tensions caused by the Iran war.

The agreement states that an armed attack against any of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all of them. The provision is similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause.

The pact is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and improve the ability of the three countries to respond jointly to external aggression.

The three US allies have been concerned about the widening regional conflict, including Iranian missile attacks on Gulf oil-exporting countries.

Turkey has NATO’s second-largest military, Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons and Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters. The agreement brings together their military, strategic and economic strengths under a collective security framework.

MECCA PACT COULD EXPAND FURTHER

Turkey has said the agreement is open to expansion, with Egypt emerging as a potential member.

Cairo has one of the region’s largest militaries and already works closely with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan through an informal grouping known as "STEP".

Several countries have expressed interest in joining the pact, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-run Anadolu Agency. He said their entry was being held up only by technical issues.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo was studying the agreement “very seriously". However, he said a decision would require a detailed examination of Egypt’s Constitution and existing legal commitments.

Ankara has maintained that the pact is intended to complement existing alliances rather than replace them.

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(With inputs from Reuters)