Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to implement defence pact

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have agreed to begin implementing their collective-defence pact immediately, including arranging rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. A joint statement issued after a meeting in Riyadh on October 5 gave no deployment schedule, troop numbers, unit details or locations, and does not confirm that forces have arrived. The decision was made by the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which met to discuss regional developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia. The statement said the countries would take the necessary measures to provide the agreed forces and capabilities. It also said implementation would proceed under approved arrangements and each country’s national laws. The pact, signed by the three countries in August, establishes a collective-defence framework under which an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all, according to the reported terms. The joint statement described the security of each country as integral to the security of the other two and said the measures would strengthen readiness and collective capacity.