Mecca Defence Pact
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said the bilateral agreement won’t be against any country after the trilateral signing of the ‘Makkah Joint Defence Agreement’ by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The pact have signed at Makkah by Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated in Makkah.
According to the pact, if any one of the three get attacked, the other two will be considered under attack. The pact is also supposed to strengthen the military collaboration between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.
Dr Dar said the agreement has come after many years of deliberations between the three countries. He said all they want to do is for peace, stability and security of the region.
The Pakistani defence minister emphasised that the pact is “purely defensive” and does not target “any country”. He further added that the deal does not “cancel or supersede” any existing defence agreements that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Turkiye have forged with other countries or international organisations.
Dar has also mentioned that the deal could be open for others. If that is the case, the countries that decide to sign would have to agree to the basic principles of the deal and support the peaceful resolution of any disputes.
The decision to reach out and sign a new defence pact comes at a time when there are continuing security concerns across West Asia. Heightened tensions between several countries in the region have heightened the likelihood of a bigger conflict.
Turkiye has also rebuffed the notion that the deal targets "any country", including Iran. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the new defence pact will underline the value of cooperation and common security.
The deal thus marks a significant development in the defence relationship between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. The defence ministers have agreed to collaborate more on security and military issues, stressing the tripartite nature of the partnership is purely defensive.
