ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday its new defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was designed to pursue “peace through strength” rather than confrontation, linking the trilateral security arrangement to its broader commitment to resolving regional conflicts through diplomacy.
The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement was signed on Friday against the backdrop of the US-Iran war and growing questions over the region’s security architecture, months after Pakistan emerged as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
“The Makkah Accord is not an instrument of confrontation, but an expression of our collective commitment to peace through strength, solidarity and mutual respect,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a message to the nation.
The agreement, signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Makkah, provides that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all.
Dar said the provision was consistent with the right to individual and collective self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and was intended to strengthen deterrence against external aggression.
“I wish to reiterate that the Makkah Accord is defensive in nature,” he said. “It is not directed against any country. Its purpose is to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression and reinforce our capacity to defend our sovereignty, territorial integrity and peoples.”
The pact comes amid a prolonged US-Iran conflict that has reshaped security calculations across the Middle East, disrupted global energy markets and shipping routes and prompted regional powers to pursue diplomatic efforts alongside measures to strengthen their defenses.
Pakistan has played a prominent role in those diplomatic efforts, working with Qatar and other regional partners to facilitate negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The two adversaries signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June following months of diplomacy, with Pakistan and Qatar subsequently participating as mediators in technical-level talks in Switzerland aimed at advancing the understandings reached under the agreement.
“Pakistan remains firmly committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for sovereignty and international law, and the pursuit of regional peace, stability and prosperity,” Dar said.
The new trilateral arrangement has nevertheless raised questions about how it could reshape regional security relationships and whether it is directed at Iran.
Tehran said on Monday it saw no reason to fear the agreement, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying Iran maintained deep ties with all three signatories and suggesting the pact reflected a broader shift by regional states toward greater responsibility for their own security.
