Asim Munir, Ishaq Dar Head to Riyadh for Key Makkah Defence Pact Meeting
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — WEB DESK: Pakistan’s top political and military officials travelled to Riyadh on Monday to participate in a high-level meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye move to deepen their regional security partnership.
Pakistan’s delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The officials are attending the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, a key institutional mechanism established under the trilateral defence framework.
Senior Saudi and Turkish officials, including the three countries’ foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs, are participating in the Riyadh talks.
Türkiye is represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
The meeting will review ongoing cooperation under the Makkah agreement and examine recent regional developments.
The three countries are also expected to assess progress towards institutionalising their defence partnership and strengthening coordination among their political and military structures.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, establishing a framework focused on collective deterrence, defence cooperation and regional stability.
The agreement treats an armed attack against one of its members as an attack against all three.
The first Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31.
At that meeting, the three countries agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia, initially headed by a Pakistani secretary general for a three-year term.
They also agreed to expand defence-industry cooperation, including joint technology development and production, while improving coordination among their armed forces.
The Riyadh meeting comes amid heightened security concerns across the Middle East, including attacks targeting Saudi territory and continuing instability surrounding Yemen.
Foreign ministers from the three countries also met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, where they reviewed implementation of the agreement and preparations for further institutional cooperation.
Pakistan has presented its participation in the Riyadh talks as part of its commitment to regional peace, stability and collective security.
No final decisions from Monday’s meeting had been publicly announced at the time of writing.
Attention will now turn to whether the three countries issue a joint statement detailing new defence, security or institutional measures agreed during the Riyadh discussions.
