Saudi, Pakistan and Turkey Chiefs Discuss Defense Coordination

Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met in Riyadh on Friday to discuss closer defense coordination, including intelligence sharing and military capabilities, according to statements from Saudi and Pakistani authorities. The meeting brought together the three countries’ senior military leaders under a defense agreement signed in August. The Saudi Defence Ministry and Pakistan’s military said the chiefs reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia. Their statements said the officials discussed ways to advance cooperation among the armed forces, including intelligence sharing, military coordination and capability integration. The statements also said the chiefs condemned attacks targeting Makkah and Saudi civilian and economic infrastructure. Turkey’s Defence Ministry had said earlier Friday that Chief of General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu was traveling to Saudi Arabia for the meeting. The supplied official accounts confirm discussions on coordination but do not establish whether the Riyadh meeting finalized operational procedures, command structures or other mechanisms for putting the agreement into effect.