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Pakistan says Mecca defense accord is defensive and open to others
The agreement includes a clause treating an attack on any signatory as an attack on all three states.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said the new defense agreement Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is “purely defensive in nature” and not aimed at any specific country, while remaining open for other regional nations to join. Ishaq Dar made the comments in a Sunday post after the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed on Friday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Dar said the accord reflects shared intent to deepen strategic security cooperation amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. He also noted that other countries could join if they uphold the deal’s principles and resolve differences through peaceful means, and he described the arrangement as consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The agreement’s stated terms include a commitment that any armed attack against any one of the three states would be regarded as an attack against them all, according to statements released by the parties. Dar also said the Mecca Accord does not replace or abrogate any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements among the signatories or with other countries and organizations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, according to the report, made a similar point the day before, saying the agreement was not aimed at Iran or any other country. Pakistan said it would continue working with countries across the region toward lasting peace and stability.