RIYADH: The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) and Turkiye have commended the Makkah Defence Alliance, describing it as a significant step toward strengthening cooperation and solidarity while consolidating security and stability.
Secretary-General of IMCTC Major General Mohammed Al-Moghedi and Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom Emrullah Isler said this during a meeting at the coalition’s headquarters in Riyadh on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Defence Alliance to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, which stipulated that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all.
IMCTC, Türkiye Discuss Counter-Terrorism Cooperation.https://t.co/2aNARaxZkZ#SPAGOV pic.twitter.com/s3Jx4YfSY6
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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement.
The three countries held the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee format established under the Makkah Defence Alliance last month. The inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul and was attended by the foreign and defence ministers and Chiefs of Defence Forces/Chiefs of General Staff of the three countries.
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They also decided to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia to support their work within the framework of the alliance. The Secretariat will be initially headed by a Secretary General from Pakistan for a period of three years, according to the joint statement.
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Major General Mohammed Al-Moghedi and Ambassador Emrullah Isler, during the meeting, discussed prospects for cooperation between the coalition and Turkiye in areas of mutual interest, as well as ways to enhance coordination and strengthen collective efforts to combat terrorism and extremism.
Al-Moghedi reviewed the IMCTC’s key activities, programmes, and strategic initiatives across its four core domains: ideology, media, counter-terrorist financing, and military.
Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening international efforts and enhancing effective partnerships to combat terrorist organisations and disrupt their ideological and financial support networks.
The Turkish ambassador toured the IMCTC headquarters, where he was briefed on its operational mechanisms and the methodology used to develop and implement programs and initiatives across member states.
