Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Türkiye agree to treat attack on one as attack on all

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, committing to strengthen collective security and treat an armed attack against any one of the three countries as an attack against all, the Foreign Office said on Friday.

The agreement was signed at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, held at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah following an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the summit, where the three leaders reviewed their longstanding relations and discussed issues of mutual interest.

The development comes at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after it was attacked by the US and Israel.

Iran and its allies have been firing on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and blockading their energy shipments, since the US and Israel attacked it on February 28 in a major escalation after years of regional tumult.

Turkiye is a member of NATO. Saudi Arabia, another US ally, is one of the world’s top oil exporters and the strongest Gulf state, while Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.

The pact follows nearly a year of negotiations, reported by Reuters in January, and as the Iran war exposes Gulf states’ security vulnerabilities and disrupts the shipping of oil and other key goods through the Strait of Hormuz.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in January said that Ankara favoured a broader regional security platform to promote cooperation and stability.

An existing Saudi-Pakistani pact treats an attack on either as an attack on both and encompasses “all military means”, a Saudi official previously told Reuters.

The Foreign Office said the fresh agreement builds on the three countries’ historical ties, bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as their shared strategic interests and longstanding defence cooperation.

The pact reflects the three states’ commitment to further strengthening collective security and promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, it said.

The agreement is aimed at strengthening collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that “any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”

It also provides for enhanced defence cooperation across all areas among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

The three countries said the agreement was aimed at supporting a secure and prosperous future and reinforcing their collective ability to respond to security challenges.

“The pact includes a collective defence clause. It is purely defensive in nature, pledging mutual support only for defence,” a Turkish official said. The agreement was not directed against any specific actor, was open to other regional countries, and did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral arrangements, the official added.

However, the three nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and Iran, as their longtime US ally struggles to contain regional upheaval.

Powerful political symbolism

“The political symbolism of the summit is significant. Three of the Muslim world’s most influential states are convening at a moment of heightened uncertainty, demonstrating a growing willingness among regional and middle powers to coordinate more closely on security matters,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center, a Saudi-based think tank.

“If institutionalised and translated into concrete cooperation, the trilateral framework could strengthen the three countries’ collective diplomatic and defense weight while contributing to the emergence of a more regionally driven security architecture,” Sager added.

Turkey has NATO’s second-largest military. Saudi Arabia, the strongest Gulf state, is home to Islam’s holiest sites and one of the world’s top oil exporters, while Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.

PM Shehbaz, accompanied by army chief Asim Munir, performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca before Turkish President Erdogan’s arrival.

They met Saudi Crown Prince MbS, whose country has been repeatedly struck by Iran, as well as by its allies Houthi in Yemen and militia in Iraq, since the war began on February 28.

The conflict has also upended the security of Riyadh’s Gulf allies and shut down most shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the route for about a fifth of global energy supplies before the war.