Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Friday in the holy city of Mecca. The pact commits the three Sunni-majority states to consider any armed attack on one of them as an attack on all, and calls for expanded defence cooperation and joint deterrence.

The agreement follows a September mutual-defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and comes as regional security concerns rise from the war in Iran, tensions with Israel and unrest in Lebanon. A Saudi statement said the deal does not create a military bloc or sectarian alliance and is not linked to nuclear activities, emphasizing “sustainable self-reliant capabilities.”

Erdogan described the arrangement as based on collective deterrence, supporting joint defence-industry projects and anti-terrorism efforts, while Sharif called it a historic pact that would act as a “shield of peace” for the three nations and the broader Muslim community. A Turkish official, speaking anonymously, said the pact is purely defensive and does not replace existing bilateral or multilateral agreements.

Iranian parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei criticised the pact on social media, arguing it would not enhance Saudi security. Analysts noted that the three countries bring complementary strengths—Pakistan’s military experience, Saudi Arabia’s economic clout and Turkey’s defence technology—and that the agreement is likely to focus on diplomatic coordination, weapons development and technology transfer rather than large-scale troop deployments.