Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to hold first defence pact meeting tomorrow, source says

ISTANBUL: Top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for a first committee meeting under the joint defence accord that they signed this month, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. The “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement”, signed on August 7, brought together Muslim US allies concerned by the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters. It is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause. Foreign and defence ministers, as well as the chiefs of staff, of the three countries will attend the meeting in Istanbul, the ministry source said. “International security issues will be on the agenda,” the source said, with discussions expected to cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their armed forces and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development. The three nations share concerns about the military stances of Israel and Iran, as long-time ally the U