Trilateral Defence Alliance Opens Door to Future Expansion, Turkey Says

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Nazrana Times Ali Imran Chattha 
Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia held their first high-level meeting under their trilateral defence pact on Monday, formally beginning the institutional establishment of what has been described as the “Makkah Defence Alliance.” The three countries also agreed that its first Secretary-General will be a Pakistani official.
The meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee was held in Istanbul, less than a month after the three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca on August 7.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance would establish its secretariat in Riyadh and that a Pakistani official would serve as its first Secretary-General.
“Today, we have started the process of establishing the institutional structure of the alliance,” Fidan said.
The agreement contains a collective defence clause, under which an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all three. The principle has been compared with NATO’s Article 5.
Fidan stressed that the alliance is purely defensive and is not directed against any particular country.
He said the alliance is intended to protect the security of its members and does not seek to escalate conflicts with other countries. The three nations, he added, are committed to promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.
The pact is based on international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference in the domestic affairs of member states, according to Fidan.
He also said the alliance could eventually expand to include additional countries, with work underway on a roadmap for future membership. However, he emphasized that the alliance’s institutional foundations must first be established.
The Istanbul meeting brought together foreign and defence ministers as well as military chiefs from the three countries.
Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Turkey was represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
Saudi Arabia was represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
The officials discussed strengthening defence capabilities, military interoperability, defence-industry cooperation including joint production, counterterrorism efforts and the creation of institutional mechanisms for cooperation.
The agreement comes amid heightened regional tensions following the reported U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which began on February 28 and has had wider implications for the Gulf and Red Sea.
Fidan described the conflict as a threat to global peace and called on both sides to avoid further escalation.
Asked about Israeli characterisations of Turkey as a strategic threat, Fidan strongly criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing him in highly condemnatory terms and calling for an end to what he described as actions amounting to genocide.