NEW YORK CITY: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, described a newly signed trilateral defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as “one of the most important events in recent weeks,” and told Arab News it represents a landmark in regional security cooperation.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, builds on the September 2025 Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.
Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three states will be regarded as an attack against all of them, mirroring the principle of collective defense that underpins NATO.
Officials from all three countries stressed that the agreement is defensive in nature and not directed at any other state.
“It brings together, you know, three very key, major countries in the Islamic world — that is Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia — but with an objective that is very clear,” Ahmad said during an interview with Arab News.
“It is defensive in nature. It is for deterrence. It is with a view to enhancing and promoting regional peace and security and development.”
He added that the nature of the trilateral framework reflected statements made by the Turkish and Saudi leaderships, as well as remarks by Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, that made clear the intent behind the agreement.
“It is not against any third country,” Ahmad said. “It is a very positive frame of mind in which this has been brought up, and that is the spirit in which I think the three countries want to take it forward.”
The pact stems from a shared sense of responsibility and a desire to play a stabilizing role in what Ahmad described as a complicated and complex regional and geopolitical environment.
“Stability and trust and mutual confidence and confidence-building are key for a peaceful and prosperous future for the region and beyond,” Ahmad said. “So I think this is what brings our three countries together.”
The agreement has been designed as an open, inclusive framework with the potential to expand, rather than a closed alliance, he added.
“This is a framework which is open. It’s meant to be inclusive,” he said. “And that’s why I think, with proper discussion and further elaboration, other countries in the region may be able to associate themselves with this framework.”
