‘Makkah Defence Alliance’: first SG to be from Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Monday moved to institutionalise their collective defence framework, agreeing to establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia with its first Secretary General coming from Pakistan for a three-year term, as the three countries began translating the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence into an operational regional security architecture.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking after the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul, said the grouping would be known as the Makkah Defence Alliance, with its secretariat based in Saudi Arabia and its first Secretary General appointed from Pakistan.

The joint statement confirmed that the Pakistani Secretary General would serve an initial three-year term.

The meeting brought together the foreign and defence ministers as well as the chiefs of defence forces/chiefs of general staff of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye — representing the highest political and military-level mechanism established so far for the implementation of the Makkah Agreement.

READ MORE: Makkah Accord: Turkiye, KSA, Pakistan to hold first meeting

Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed AsimMunir.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir, during his official visit to Türkiye, also held a series of separate high-level engagements in Istanbul with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Güler and Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen Selçuk Bayraktaroglu.

The meetings covered matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence cooperation and the evolving regional security environment, ISPR said.

The Field Marshal also attended the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence, where the three countries reviewed avenues for further strengthening strategic coordination and defence cooperation.

The ISPR said the engagements reflected the close bonds among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as well as their growing strategic and defence cooperation.

The three countries, according to their joint statement, agreed to take further steps to institutionalise cooperation under the Makkah Agreement to strengthen solidarity and ensure the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defence.

A secretariat headed by a Secretary General will consequently be established in Saudi Arabia to support implementation of the agreement. The decision to give Pakistan the first three-year term at the helm of the institution gives Islamabad a central role in shaping the alliance’s initial institutional and operational framework.

The three sides also agreed to undertake joint activities aimed at strengthening their defence capabilities and improving cohesion among their armed forces, alongside enhanced defence-industry cooperation, joint technology development and production.

These decisions mark a shift from the political commitments contained in the original agreement towards building permanent mechanisms for their implementation, including an institutional headquarters, leadership structure and military and defence-industrial coordination.

Fidan described the Makkah Agreement as the beginning of a new security and cooperation architecture in the region, saying the three countries were now working on concrete measures required for its implementation.

He stressed that the arrangement was not directed against any particular country and was based on principles including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.

Importantly, Fidan also indicated that the alliance had been designed with the possibility of expansion, saying work was underway on a roadmap governing the admission of additional members. Any expansion would involve agreed procedures and consultations among the founding states as well as countries interested in joining.

The clarification assumes significance amid growing interest over whether other regional states could eventually become part of the Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye defence framework.

Fidan also said participation in the new framework would not negate the countries’ obligations arising from their existing agreements and alliances — an important provision given Türkiye’s NATO membership and the separate strategic and security partnerships maintained by the three states.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, meanwhile, emphasised the need for political coordination, defence integration and collective military readiness to confront contemporary challenges and threats and reaffirmed Riyadh’s commitment to activating mechanisms established under the agreement.

Field Marshal Munir’s separate meeting with Prince Khalid on the sidelines added a bilateral military dimension to the Istanbul consultations, with regional security and defence cooperation among the issues discussed.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also held talks with Turkish Defence Minister Ya?arGüler ahead of the committee meeting. Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen Bayraktaro?lu participated in the engagement, during which Pakistan and Türkiye agreed on further enhancing their defence cooperation.

At the broader trilateral level, the joint statement said Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye would continue supporting de-escalation and restraint and the peaceful resolution of crises, describing their approach as one based on regional ownership and aimed at achieving sustainable peace and stability.

The Istanbul decisions constitute the first major implementation phase of the Makkah Agreement. While the original pact established the principle of collective defence, the latest meeting has begun putting in place the institutional machinery required to operationalise it — including a permanent secretariat, Pakistani leadership during its formative three years, greater cohesion among the three armed forces, defence-industrial collaboration and joint technology development and production.

The establishment of these mechanisms, coupled with the prospect of admitting additional countries, could eventually transform the three-nation arrangement from a collective-defence agreement into a wider regional security framework.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026