Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
Officials and military commanders from the three countries met at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace for the flagship meeting of a Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
The Mecca agreement was signed on 7 August by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The landmark defence pact stipulates that an attack on any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all.
Türkiye was represented at Monday’s meeting in Istanbul by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
Senior Pakistani and Saudi officials also attended the closed-door meeting.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Fidan announced that the bloc would officially be known as the Mecca Defence Alliance, saying work had already begun to establish its institutional structure.
The alliance’s secretariat will be based in Saudi capital Riyadh, while its first secretary-general will be from Pakistan, Fidan said.
Fidan reiterated the “defensive” nature of the pact, which, he stressed, was not aimed at any particular countries or groups.
The alliance, he said, was committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional states and adhering to the principle of non-interference.
Fidan also said the alliance had been established with the aim of expanding beyond its three founding members, noting that a “roadmap” was being drawn up setting conditions for other countries to join.
According to Ankara’s top diplomat, the new bloc is meant to “complement” - rather than replace - Türkiye’s existing international security commitments, including its obligations as a core NATO member.
Monday’s discussions also reportedly covered means of enhancing joint defence capabilities, military interoperability and defence-industrial cooperation.
Fidan concluded by saying that the Mecca agreement was aimed at creating a new “security architecture,” adding that closer coordination between its members would serve to foster stability and reduce tensions across the region.
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi ...
Russia has violated an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelen...
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people...
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority. The airport remains closed until further notice.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
Russia has violated an energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, urging Washington to step in to ensure that Moscow abided by the terms of the putative agreement.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine is ready to respect the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, but only if Russia does the same, saying Moscow has already violated the agreement.
China has announced sanctions against Belize’s foreign minister and Paraguay’s communications minister over their countries’ diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The move comes as Beijing continues to pressure the few remaining nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei.
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea's military said, marking Pyongyang's fourth launch in a month and following Seoul's recent test of a hypersonic missile.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment