Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan pose for a group photo during their meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Aug. 31, 2026. Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of their joint defense committee, established under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye/Handout via Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of their joint defense committee, established under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement.
The Strategic Political and Defense Committee meeting was held at the Ciragan Palace along the European shores of the Bosphorus Strait behind closed doors. On the sidelines of the meeting, the three sides held separate bilateral talks.
According to sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the committee meeting focused on international security issues, defense industry cooperation and military interoperability, including joint production, research and development, and cooperation in counter-terrorism.
The landmark pact was signed on Aug. 7 in Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The agreement seeks to strengthen joint deterrence among the three countries amid growing regional and global instability. It stipulates that an attack on any one of the signatories will be considered an attack on all three. ■
Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan meet in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Aug. 31, 2026. Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of their joint defense committee, established under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye/Handout via Xinhua)
Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan meet in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Aug. 31, 2026. Top diplomats and defense chiefs from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of their joint defense committee, established under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye/Handout via Xinhua)
