Subscription Form

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif signed the pact in Mecca

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a new defence agreement under which an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three.

The agreement was announced following a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca.

According to a joint statement, the pact is aimed at strengthening collective deterrence and expanding cooperation in defence and security. However, it does not specify the exact military obligations each country would have in the event of an attack.

A Turkish official described the agreement as defensive in nature.

The pact comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Recent attacks and disruptions to shipping routes have raised security concerns among Gulf countries.

Iran has reacted critically to the agreement. Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission, said the pact would not provide Saudi Arabia with meaningful security.

For Saudi Arabia, the agreement provides an additional security partnership as regional tensions increase. Pakistan could benefit from closer defence and diplomatic ties with two major regional powers, while Turkey could gain opportunities for greater defence industry cooperation, including joint production and technology partnerships.

The three countries have not yet detailed how the mutual defence commitment would be implemented if one member came under attack.