Pakistan, Türkiye say Makkah defense pact not aimed at any country, open to expansion

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Türkiye have stressed that the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement signed with Saudi Arabia is purely defensive, not directed against Iran or any other country and could expand to include other regional states that share its principles.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Sunday that the landmark agreement was “purely defensive in nature” and reflected a shared desire among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye to deepen strategic security cooperation.

Dar said other countries could join the agreement if they were willing to uphold its principles and resolve differences through peaceful means.

His remarks echoed those of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who said Saturday that the three countries do not regard any particular state as an adversary and that the agreement does not identify a common enemy.

“We don’t have anything written down — nothing we’ve signed — that defines a common threat,” Fidan told Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency. “Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.”

The agreement was signed Friday at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

Under its central collective-defense provision, any armed attack against one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three.

Dar said the provision was consistent with the right to individual and collective self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, adding that Pakistan would continue working with countries across the region to promote lasting peace and stability.

“The Makkah Accord does not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these countries, or with other countries or organizations,” Dar wrote on X.

Fidan similarly described the mutual-defense provision as “technically the same” as NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

He explained that a member facing an attack would need to formally request assistance from the other two countries, with the response determined by the nature and scale of the threat.

Assistance could range from intelligence sharing and logistical support to the deployment of military units.

“These are multi-layered matters that vary according to the scale of the threat,” Fidan said.

Both ministers also pointed to the possibility of expanding the framework beyond its three founding members.

While Dar said the agreement remained open to other countries willing to embrace its principles, Fidan revealed that several countries had already expressed interest in joining.

The three founding countries bring significant and complementary capabilities to the framework. Saudi Arabia brings substantial economic resources, military capabilities and regional influence; Pakistan is the Islamic world's only nuclear-armed state and has extensive military experience; and Türkiye is a NATO member with the alliance's second-largest military and a rapidly expanding domestic defense industry.

Fidan said implementation of the agreement would be institutionalized through regular committee meetings involving the foreign and defense ministers of the three countries as well as their military chiefs.

A permanent secretariat for the agreement will also be established in Saudi Arabia, he said.

The agreement comes amid heightened regional tensions, but officials from the three countries have repeatedly sought to distance it from any suggestion that it constitutes a new military axis or is directed against a specific state.

A joint statement issued following Friday’s Makkah Joint Defense Summit said the agreement builds on longstanding historical ties, Islamic solidarity, shared strategic interests and close defense cooperation.

It aims to strengthen joint deterrence against aggression, expand defense cooperation and contribute to security, peace and stability in the region and globally.