Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan sign ‘defense deal’
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement on Friday amid tensions in the region caused by the US-Israeli aggression against Iran in February.
In a joint statement published by the official Saudi press agency and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the three countries announced the signing of the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement".
They declared a "shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond".
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence".
Since the onset of the regional war, Saudi Arabia has grown closer to Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, which have been pushing for mediation and a resolution to the conflict.
A source close to the Saudi military and government told AFP before the signing that although the agreement had been under discussion for a long time, "the latest developments in the region expedite it".
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Mecca.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a mutual defense pact in 2025, a move that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state.
Pakistan has also sought to mediate efforts to end the US-Iran war, while Turkey has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
The deal also comes as a truce between Riyadh and Yemen has broken down, with Yemeni Armed Forces launching attacks on Saudi soil and declaring a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in response to Saudis’ siege on their neighboring country.
Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, reacted to the pact in a post on X, saying that, “There is no security for the invading Saudi forces, nor for their mercenaries, nor for their camps on our land”.
“Our armed forces are compelled to reclaim our rights, lift the siege on our country, and confront every individual who obstructs our people’s path towards attaining their rights, freedom, and independence, regardless of their nationality,” he said in a separate post.