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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a Türkiye-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense committee meeting in Riyadh on Monday, Oct. 5, as the three countries move to institutionalize a new joint defense alliance, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The Strategic Political and Defense Committee meeting, established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, will bring together foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff from the three countries.
Fidan will be joined by Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
The meeting will focus on the alliance’s institutional structure, regional security threats and next steps following earlier talks in Istanbul, New York and Riyadh.
Fidan is set to outline Türkiye’s position on the alliance’s development and discuss threats to peace and stability in the Middle East.
He will also address regional developments affecting the allies’ common security and underline the importance of the progress achieved since the agreement was signed.
Türkiye views the alliance as a mechanism for joint deterrence, crisis prevention and coordinated responses to regional threats.
Fidan will reaffirm Ankara’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia following Houthi attacks and stress that provocative actions targeting holy sites are unacceptable.
He will also emphasize the importance of protecting freedom and security of navigation on international trade routes and avoiding steps that could further escalate regional tensions.
Fidan is also set to draw attention to Israel’s actions in the region, saying they continue to target efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca on Aug. 7.
The agreement reflects the three countries’ push for regional solutions to regional problems and a shared strategic vision centered on security and stability.
It aims to strengthen Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia’s security through joint deterrence and defense.
The agreement stipulates that an attack on any one of the parties will be considered an attack on all.
It also seeks to promote security, peace, stability and prosperity regionally and globally, while building a new culture of cooperation in the region.
The agreement is open to actors that respect international law and share a vision of peaceful cooperation.
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The Strategic Political and Defense Committee was created to guide the agreement’s implementation.
The committee held its first meeting in Istanbul on Aug. 31, hosted by Türkiye, where foundational decisions were taken, and technical work on the alliance’s institutionalization was reviewed.
The alliance’s secretariat is planned to be established in Riyadh, with retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood nominated as its first secretary-general.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also met in New York on Sept. 24 on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st U.N. General Assembly.
A joint statement issued after that meeting condemned attacks targeting Mecca and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure.
The chiefs of general staff of the three countries met in Riyadh the following day, on Sept. 25.
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