Amid rising tensions in West Asia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a joint defence pact on Friday. Under the pact, any attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three countries. According to a joint statement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the ‘Makkah Joint Defence Agreement’ during a meeting at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca.
The agreement, signed during the Mecca Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, aims to strengthen collective security against any aggressive action. It provides that any armed attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three. The statement said that it also provides for enhancing all aspects of defence cooperation between the three countries. The development comes at a time when the conflict in West Asia has spread to multiple fronts, including the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. This has prompted the Gulf countries to strengthen regional security coordination. The statement said the Mecca agreement “demonstrates a shared commitment to further strengthen the collective security of the three countries and to promote peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, ensuring a secure and prosperous future.”
In early September last year, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a strategic mutual defense agreement. It pledged that an attack on either country would be considered an “aggression against both countries.” Under this defense agreement, Pakistan sent troops and aircraft to Saudi Arabia for joint training, defense cooperation and to assist Saudi Arabia in its security needs. The joint statement said the Mecca agreement “is inspired by the long-standing historical relations between the three countries. It is based on the strong bonds of brotherhood and Islamic unity that bind them, and it furthers their shared strategic interests and long-standing defense cooperation.”