CDF Munir arrives in Türkiye amid key regional diplomatic engagements

Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir arrived in Türkiye on Sunday for an official visit, the military’s media wing said.

The visit comes as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is also in Istanbul for official engagements, including participation in a key regional foreign ministers’ meeting.

The simultaneous presence of Pakistan’s top military and diplomatic officials in Türkiye comes amid reports that Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are set to hold the first committee-level meeting under the recently signed Makkah joint defence agreement.

Dar arrived in Istanbul earlier on Sunday after concluding his official visit to the United Kingdom.

The deputy prime minister is scheduled to participate in the Regional 4 (R-4) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting involving Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with regional security and diplomatic developments expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

Dar was received upon arrival by Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Brigadier General Şenol Varol, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Dr Yousaf Junaid, Turkish Foreign Ministry Ambassador Cihad Erginay and other senior Turkish government officials, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

Soon after his arrival, the deputy prime minister visited the shrine of Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (RA) in Istanbul and offered prayers for the peace and prosperity of Pakistan and its people, as well as the unity of the Muslim Ummah.

The R-4 meeting comes amid continuing regional tensions and stalled negotiations, with the four countries expected to discuss regional security, diplomatic coordination and efforts to promote peace.

The R-4 framework emerged in March amid diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran. Its previous meeting was held in Cairo in June, where the participating countries welcomed the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran.

The first two R-4 meetings were held in Riyadh and Islamabad in March.

The Foreign Office has described the R-4 mechanism as reflecting the participating countries’ shared commitment to consultation, cooperation and coordinated efforts for regional peace and prosperity.

First Makkah defence pact meeting tomorrow: source

Top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for a first committee meeting under the joint defence accord that they signed this month, Reuters reported citing a Turkish foreign ministry source.

The “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement”, signed on August 7, brought together Muslim US allies concerned by the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters.

It 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, similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause.

Foreign and defence ministers, as well as the chiefs of staff, of the three countries will attend the meeting in Istanbul, the ministry source said.

“International security issues will be on the agenda,” the source said, with discussions expected to cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their armed forces and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development.

The three nations share concerns about the military stances of Israel and Iran, as long-time ally the US struggles to contain regional upheaval that has caused a global energy crisis.

Six months after the US and Israel launched the war against Iran, negotiations are at an impasse and President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts to punish Iran financially with what it has billed as an “economic D-Day”.

Turkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion — with Egypt as a potential candidate — and did not seek to replace existing alliances.