Turkey will host the first ministerial meeting of the Mecca defence pact on Monday, bringing together the foreign and defence ministers of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in Constantinople.
The agreement between the three major Sunni Muslim powers was signed on 7 August in Mecca by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Strategic committee to be established
According to sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry and officials in Islamabad, the inaugural session will establish a Strategic Policy and Defence Committee composed of the foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of staff of the three countries.
The committee will be tasked with providing strategic direction for activities carried out under the agreement and coordinating future cooperation.
Three major military powers
The agreement links:
- Turkey, which possesses NATO's second-largest military.
- Saudi Arabia, regarded as the Gulf's leading regional power.
- Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed state in the Muslim world.
The three countries have presented the pact as a framework for deeper cooperation on security, defence and strategic policy.
Senior delegations attending
The Turkish delegation will be led by:
- Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
- Defence Minister Yaşar Güler.
- Chief of the General Staff Gen Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Pakistan will be represented by:
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
- Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
- Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to Turkish sources, Saudi Arabia will send:
- Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
- The Saudi defence minister.
- The chief of the kingdom's armed forces.
Defence and security cooperation
In addition to discussing international security developments, participants are expected to focus on:
- Strengthening defence capabilities.
- Enhancing interoperability between their armed forces.
- Expanding cooperation in the defence industry.
- Coordinating strategic initiatives under the new framework.
According to Ankara, one of the key provisions of the agreement stipulates that an attack against any member state will be considered an attack against all parties to the pact.
