Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey discuss institutional steps for new defence pact

At a side event of the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar convened with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The three leaders reviewed the implementation of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a pact that treats an attack on any member as an attack on all. They assessed the establishment of the alliance’s institutional structures following the inaugural Istanbul meeting, where Pakistan was selected to head the secretariat based in Riyadh.

Discussions also covered broader regional and international security concerns. Dar indicated that additional updates on the pact’s operationalization will be provided later.