Saudi Cabinet reviews progress on Makkah defence agreement with Pakistan, Türkiye

Under the chairmanship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet evaluated the progress made in establishing the secretariat of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. Riyadh, Islamabad and Ankara are continuing their efforts to bolster defense cooperation. The Cabinet also reviewed developments in defense cooperation between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, as well as regional and international security issues.

The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in August, pledging to work more closely together on collective security and defense. The pact specifies that an armed attack against any of the three is to be treated as an attack against all three.

The latest Cabinet discussions followed a meeting on Friday in Riyadh of the defense chiefs and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye.

The military commanders examined dangers facing Saudi Arabia and discussed measures to enhance intelligence sharing, military coordination, and integration of defense capabilities.