Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Move to Institutionalize Mecca Defense Agreement

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to build a permanent institutional structure around their Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, beginning with a secretariat in Saudi Arabia.

The countries’ foreign and defense ministers, along with their chiefs of staff, met in Istanbul as members of the agreement’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee. In a joint statement, they reaffirmed their intention to work together under the Mecca framework to support sustainable peace and stability in their regions.

The planned secretariat will be headed initially by a Pakistani secretary-general, who will serve for three years. The three governments said they had agreed to take further steps to institutionalize cooperation under the agreement and to strengthen their solidarity, collective deterrence and defense capabilities.

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They will continue to support efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ensuring restraint in order to encourage the peaceful resolution of crises.

The statement also described a wider defense agenda. The countries plan to work through joint activities to expand cooperation in the defense industry, develop technology together and pursue joint production. They said the cooperation should contribute to regional efforts toward a fair, inclusive and lasting peace, as well as security based on cooperation.

They also pledged to support efforts aimed at reducing tensions, exercising restraint and encouraging peaceful solutions to crises. The three countries said they would implement the Mecca Agreement in an institutionalized and determined manner.

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A secretariat headed by a secretary-general will be established in Saudi Arabia to support work carried out under the Mecca Agreement.