Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 07 Aug 2026
#Mecca Joint Defence Agreement #Saudi Arabia Pakistan Turkey defence pact #Saudi Pakistan Turkey agreement #India monitoring defence pact #Mohammed bin Salman #Shehbaz Sharif #Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey sign key pact; India monitoring closely. Photo: Pakistan Prime Minister's Office/X
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey on Friday signed a defence pact, dubbed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement following the "Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence" held at Al-Safa Palace, Dawn News reported.
According to a statement issued by Pakistan's Foreign Office, quoted by Dawn News, the agreement is aimed at strengthening collective deterrence against external aggression.
"The agreement is intended to strengthen 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," the Foreign Office said.
The statement added that the pact also "provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation" among the three countries.
The agreement comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following the conflict between the United States and Iran, which began on February 28.
Amid the hostilities, Iran and its allies have launched attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states while disrupting regional energy shipments, further escalating tensions in the region.
India is closely monitoring the latest geopolitical developments.
Responding to a question during a media briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was keeping a close watch on the agreement.
"The pact between the three countries is, again, a development that we are closely following, and we will keep you updated on that," Jaiswal said.