Trump hails Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye defence pact as ‘bold, important first step’

United States President Donald Trump expressed his pleasure on the recent signing of a defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote, ”Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.”

Calling it a “BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP,” the president said that the pact showed how the Middle East was coming together, and “how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way”.

READ MORE: Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia will form political, military mechanisms to coordinate under defence pact: Ankara

Signed on August 7, the “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement” is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, the countries said in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif replied to the US president’s statement, saying that “ he deeply appreciated” the “kind words of support” on the signing of the agreement.

“Together, with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkiye, Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of our own countries as well as the entire region,” PM Shehbaz said.

“I would also like to once again commend President Trump for his courageous and decisive leadership, which helped avert a nuclear catastrophe in South Asia and saved millions of lives.

Durable peace is the most essential prerequisite for a bright and prosperous future for our peoples.”

The central stipulation of the Makkah Accord is that an armed attack against any one of the three signatory countries would be regarded as an attack against them all.

This clause is similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) charter.

However, the exact obligation of each member country in the event of an attack is not fully detailed in the provided context