Dar, Saudi and Turkish counterparts review progress on institutionalising tripartite defence pact

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Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met with Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers to review the institutionalization progress of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The pact, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, commits members to mutual defense against attacks and established Pakistan as head of the secretariat.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Saudi Arabian and Turkish counterparts on Friday to review progress on institutionalising the tripartite Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The agreement — signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all. Its inaugural meeting was held on Aug 31, where officials from all member states met in Istanbul to establish the institutional structure of the alliance, and Pakistan was picked to head its secretariat in Riyadh. Dar met Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he said in a post on social media platform X. “Under the framework of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), we reviewed progress towards establishing the institutional structures under the agreement and exchanged views on regional and international security issues,” he wrote. More to follow.