Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye Advance Makkah Defence Pact

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have reviewed the next steps for putting the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement into operation as renewed attacks on Saudi territory give the three-country security framework an immediate test.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The ministers discussed regional and international security and assessed progress on the institutions intended to carry out the agreement.

The pact was signed in Makkah on August 7 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Its central commitment is that an armed attack against one member will be regarded as an attack against all three.

Building the pact's institutions

The New York meeting focused on converting that political commitment into a functioning structure. The ministers reviewed work on a general secretariat, committees and working groups, as well as preparations for those bodies to begin operating.

The framework took its first institutional step at an August 31 meeting in Istanbul. The partners agreed that the secretariat would be based in Saudi Arabia and initially led by a Pakistani secretary-general for a three-year term. Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood was appointed the first secretary-general on September 23.

Those decisions matter because a mutual-defence promise requires more than a joint statement. Officials need agreed channels for consultation, shared assessments of threats and procedures for deciding what political, military or logistical support is appropriate in a crisis. Committees and working groups provide the machinery through which those questions can be addressed before an emergency forces rapid decisions.

Houthi attacks sharpen the discussion

The three ministers condemned recent Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including Makkah and other civilian locations, according to a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement cited in reporting on the meeting. Saudi authorities had reported intercepting ballistic missiles after alerts were issued in several regions.

The ministers also discussed arrangements for an urgent meeting of the three countries' chiefs of staff to consider support for Saudi Arabia under the pact. That planned military-level meeting represents a more concrete step than previous general consultations, although no operational decision was publicly announced after the foreign ministers' talks.

The distinction is important. The agreement establishes collective-defence obligations, but public statements have not set out an automatic or identical response to every attack. The type of support could depend on the nature of the threat, requests from the affected state and decisions made through the pact's emerging institutions.

Pakistan has described the agreement as defensive and not directed against another country. Officials have said its purpose is collective deterrence, protection of sovereignty and stronger cooperation in areas such as training, capacity building, defence technology and research.

Maritime and regional security

The ministers also emphasised international law, state sovereignty, non-interference and freedom of navigation. Those principles have become increasingly relevant as conflict affects the Red Sea and nearby shipping routes that carry energy supplies and global trade.

Saudi Arabia has a direct interest in protecting cities, energy infrastructure and ports. Turkiye and Pakistan bring established military capabilities and longstanding bilateral defence relationships with Riyadh. The Makkah framework seeks to connect those relationships through a standing trilateral mechanism while leaving each country responsible for its sovereign decisions.

The partners said they would continue working for de-escalation and peaceful solutions to regional crises. That language reflects the balance they are trying to maintain: presenting the pact as a credible deterrent while arguing that its purpose is stability rather than expansion of conflict.

From declaration to implementation

The New York talks mark a shift from celebrating the agreement to testing its procedures. The appointment of a secretary-general, work on the secretariat and preparations for a chiefs-of-staff meeting all indicate that implementation is moving forward.

Important questions remain, including how decisions will be made, how responsibilities will be divided and what forms of assistance the members are prepared to provide. Those details may not all be public because of their security implications, but the credibility of the pact will depend on whether its institutions can coordinate quickly and avoid ambiguity during a crisis.

For now, the three governments have reaffirmed the core commitment, condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia and directed officials to build the structures needed for sustained cooperation. The next military and diplomatic meetings will show how that promise is translated into policy.