ISTANBUL — Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia convene in Istanbul for first high-level meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance, with senior military and political leadership gathering to shape the bloc’s strategic roadmap.
Ahead of the landmark meeting, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler held separate meetings with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, signalling intensified defence coordination among the three countries.
Turkey’s Ministry of Defence shared videos of the meetings, as both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation. Istanbul meeting follows the establishment of the Makkah Defence Alliance by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on August 7, bringing the three countries together under a new framework for political and military coordination.
The alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee, comprising the foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs of the three countries, is expected to formulate an operational roadmap and examine practical measures for closer military cooperation.
Turkey is represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Pakistan’s delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Saudi Arabia is represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Chief of General Staff General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
With the defence and military chiefs of all three countries sitting together, the Istanbul gathering is being closely watched as a potentially significant step towards institutionalising trilateral security cooperation. The meeting is expected to provide the first concrete direction for the alliance, including its political framework, military coordination mechanisms and practical areas of defence collaboration.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to hold first defence pact meeting in Istanbul
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