Lahore: Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated on Sunday that the newly signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye is purely defensive in nature and does not target any specific nation. Clarifying the scope and intent of the landmark tripartite agreement, Dar emphasized that the accord aims to strengthen regional security cooperation and remains accessible to any nation in the region committed to resolving disputes through peaceful engagement and mutual respect.
The collective defence pact was formalised on Friday at the Al-Safa Palace in Mecca by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Under the provisions of the agreement, an external armed assault against any one of the three member states will be treated as an attack against all three, in alignment with individual and collective self-defence provisions set out in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
Providing additional context on social media, Dar highlighted that the agreement represents the outcome of years of sustained diplomatic discussions aimed at addressing security challenges in the wider region. He affirmed that the treaty does not alter, replace, or supersede any existing bilateral or multilateral commitments involving the signatory nations. The development comes amidst escalating maritime and security concerns across West Asia, reinforcing strategic alignment among the three countries without forming an exclusive military bloc.
