The Strategic Political and Defense Committee established by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia under their joint defense framework will convene tomorrow in Istanbul for its first meeting. Türkiye will chair the meeting.
The committee includes the foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of the three countries. Türkiye is expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Delegations from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
Pakistan’s delegation is expected to include Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Saudi Arabia is expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
Strengthening joint defense capabilities on the agenda
The Istanbul meeting will address international security issues, the development of defense capabilities and efforts to improve coordination among the armed forces of the three countries.
The parties will also assess joint production in the defense industry and research and development activities. The committee is expected to exchange views on strengthening joint counterterrorism efforts.
The committee aims to set the strategic direction of work under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Secretariat and next steps
The agenda includes establishing the structure of a Secretariat to coordinate areas of joint work. The parties also plan to establish other relevant mechanisms and set a road map covering the next steps.
Scope of the agreement
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed in Mecca on August 7 by Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The text signed by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is based on the principles of shared responsibility and regional initiatives. The agreement aims to strengthen security, peace, stability and prosperity at the regional and global levels, as well as to increase joint deterrence capabilities.
Under the text, an attack against one of the parties will be considered an attack against all parties. The agreement also allows actors that respect international law and embrace peaceful cooperation to join.
