Key facts
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey military chiefs met in Riyadh.
- The meeting focused on enhancing intelligence sharing, military coordination, and capability integration.
- The chiefs affirmed a commitment to collective defense under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
- The agreement stipulates that an attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on all of them.
Military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey convened in Riyadh to discuss strengthening their defense ties, including enhanced intelligence sharing, military coordination, and capability integration. The meeting, as reported by the Pakistan military, focused on the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia. The leaders affirmed their commitment to collective defense under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, vowing to translate its stipulations into effective cooperation. This agreement, signed on August 7, posits that an attack on one signatory nation is considered an attack on all three. The discussions follow a meeting between the foreign ministers of the three countries in New York, where they discussed progress on institutionalizing the alliance, including establishing a secretariat. The foreign ministers also condemned attacks targeting Mecca and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, affirming the kingdom's right to self-defense. The diplomatic and military engagements occur amid escalating fighting in Yemen and continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including missile and drone strikes.