Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Sign Mecca Joint Defense Pact

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye on Friday, terming it an important strategic step.

The OIC Secretary General described the pact as a historic agreement. The pact, signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, transforms longstanding security ties into a collective-defense alliance. It empowers the three states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

The agreement has been under negotiation since last year. The OIC Secretary General states the pact strengthens collective deterrence. Sources in Jerusalem view the emerging Middle East pact as mostly negative for Israel, as relations with Ankara continue to sour. Analysts suggest regional partners are seeking alternatives to supplement their security without discarding US support.

The agreement draws two of the Muslim world’s formidable military powers to Saudi Arabia’s defense. Riyadh faces escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels in recent days. The pact holds economic-political importance. The agreement raises questions over whether Saudi Arabia and Turkey would directly enter a war if, for example, India launched another Operation Sindoor-style strike on Pakistan.