Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye are holding their first trilateral meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul, officials confirmed. The inaugural session of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee convenes amid rising security concerns driven by escalating tensions and the ongoing war involving Iran across West Asia.
Trilateral Defence Pact Takes Shape in Istanbul
The Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed that the high-level meeting implements the trilateral defence pact signed on August 7, which dictates that an armed assault against any one of the three participating nations will be treated as an attack against all of them. Pakistan is represented at the Istanbul talks by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to statements from the Foreign Office and the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The Turkish foreign ministry verified that its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and Chief of Turkish General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu are participating in the committee’s deliberations. Dar arrived in Türkiye following an official visit to London, while Field Marshal Munir landed in Türkiye separately on an official visit. Upon arrival, Dar met with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, where both sides expressed satisfaction with the ongoing strengthening of bilateral relations across political, economic, security, and cultural domains, according to the Foreign Office.
Regional Security and the R-4 Diplomatic Framework
While the official agenda for the defence committee meeting is not known, it is believed that the regional situation with respect to the Iran war would be discussed. Alongside the Makkah defence accord meetings, Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan has invited Dar to participate in a Regional-4 meeting in Istanbul. The R-4 group brings together the three defence pact nations alongside Egypt to coordinate on regional stability.
The R-4 diplomatic grouping emerged in March amid efforts for mediation between the United States and Iran, holding previous rounds in Riyadh, Islamabad, Cairo, and most recently on August 5 in Amman, Jordan. Pakistan has sought to play a mediatory role between the US and Iran.
Delegates in Istanbul have not released a joint communiqué detailing specific operational milestones or military deployment mechanisms stemming from the Makkah Accord’s collective defense clause. Further announcements regarding the implementation of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee remain pending.
