Saudi ⁠Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye sign defence deal amid regional turmoil

Saudi ⁠Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye have signed a ⁠joint defence agreement, deepening ‌security cooperation amid heightened military tensions and conflicts in the Middle East.

In a joint statement published by the official Saudi press agency and Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, the three countries announced the signing of the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”.

They declared a “shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future”.

Pakistan’s 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”.

The deal comes a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by powerful army chief Asim Munir, arrived in Saudi Arabia and performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also travelled to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has been struck repeatedly by Iran, as well as by Tehran’s Houthi allies in Yemen and Shia armed groups in Iraq, since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.