ISTANBUL, Turkiye: The first Secretary General of the Makkah Defence Alliance will be from Pakistan for a period of three years, as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed on Monday to establish a permanent secretariat to institutionalise their cooperation under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence.
The three countries agreed to further institutionalise their cooperation under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence, seeking to strengthen solidarity, enhance the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defence, and contribute to efforts for a just, inclusive and lasting peace in the region.
The decision was taken at the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee format established under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence. 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.
Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif represented Pakistan at the high-level meeting.
In a joint statement, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye said they would work together within the framework of the Makkah Agreement to promote sustainable peace and stability in the region and continue supporting de-escalation and restraint to encourage the peaceful resolution of crises.
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STRATEGIC POLITICAL AND DEFENCE COMMITTEE OF THE MAKKAH AGREEMENT FOR JOINT DEFENCE – JOINT STATEMENT
🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WAJfYdYCoL
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 31, 2026
“Acting with a sense of regional ownership, the three countries reiterate their determination to work together within the framework of the Makkah Agreement to achieve sustainable peace and stability in their region. To that end, they will continue to support efforts towards de-escalation and restraint to encourage peaceful resolution of crises,” the joint statement read.
The three countries agreed to take steps to further institutionalise their cooperation within the Makkah Agreement in a manner that would enhance their solidarity, ensure the credibility and effectiveness of their collective deterrence and defence, and contribute to the regional efforts and cooperative security towards a just, inclusive and lasting peace, the joint statement added.
A Secretariat, headed by a Secretary General, will be established in Saudi Arabia to support their work within the framework of the Makkah Agreement. The Secretariat will be initially headed by a Secretary General from Pakistan for a period of three years, according to the joint statement.
The three countries agreed that through joint activities, they will also work to strengthen their defence capabilities and cohesion of their armed forces through robust defence industry cooperation, joint technology development and production.
“Through the institutionalised and resolute implementation of the Makkah Agreement, the three countries will provide essential contributions to regional peace and stability,” the joint statement concluded.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the meeting was held “in relation to the concrete steps that are going to be taken for the implementation of the agreement”, and an exchange of views was held for that purpose.
“As of today, we have started the process of establishing the institutional structure of the alliance,” Fidan said, announcing that the agreement’s official name will be “Makkah Defence Alliance”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said the secretariat of the alliance would be established in Riyadh and the first secretary general will be appointed from Pakistan.
He said that during the meeting, decisions were taken on “how and when to begin institutionalisation and all our brothers expressed views during the meeting”.
“With this alliance, we will see greater stability gradually emerge in the region and uncertainty diminish,” the Turkish Foreign Minister said.
The Turkish Foreign Minister said that they were working on a roadmap for process of other countries to participate in the joint defence pact.
Fidan said that the meeting aimed at promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity, adding that decisions taken at the meeting would yield meaningful results. He said the meeting will determine shared responsibilities in the backdrop of growing regional and global tensions.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on August 7 in Makkah between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
Inaugural meeting of ‘Makkah Defence Alliance’
Pakistan’s Foreign Office shared pictures from the tripartite meeting, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Asif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 attended the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, alongside Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif @KhawajaMAsif and… pic.twitter.com/kxsrmbLykk
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 31, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister Dar, in a post on X, termed it a “great inaugural meeting”.
AlhamdoLilah, a great inaugural meeting today of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Istanbul after signing of “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement” on 7th August 2026 in Makkah Mukaramma. https://t.co/Gnxh9KAKLy
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) August 31, 2026
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Foreign Office said Pakistan’s participation in the meeting signifies its “historic bonds of friendship with the brotherly countries of Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, as well as its desire for lasting regional peace and stability”.
The inaugural ministerial meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is being seen as the first step towards establishing a framework for trilateral strategic and defence cooperation.
Bilateral meetings
Ahead of the trilateral pact’s inaugural meeting, the signatories held multiple bilateral meetings in Istanbul.
Field Marshal Munir met Turkish National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler ahead of the first meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul.
In a post on the social media platform X, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence shared a video of Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Munir meeting Güler.
The Turkish minister also held a separate meeting with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Asif, with Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu in attendance.
Millî Savunma Bakanı Yaşar Güler ile Pakistan Kara Kuvvetleri ve Savunma Kuvvetleri Komutanı Mareşal Syed Asim Munir’in görüşmesinden görüntüler…#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı #YaşarGüler pic.twitter.com/pzd3xndgKV
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 31, 2026
The Turkish minister also held a separate meeting with Defence Minister Asif, with Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu in attendance.
According to Radio Pakistan, Asif and the Turkish leadership agreed to enhance joint defence cooperation in the region.
Millî Savunma Bakanı Yaşar Güler ile Pakistan Savunma Bakanı Khawaja Muhammad Asif’in İstanbul’da gerçekleştirdikleri görüşmeden görüntüler…#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı #YaşarGüler pic.twitter.com/2eOk9JZbBy
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 31, 2026
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s foreign minister met his Saudi counterpart on the margins of the trilateral moot.
Fidan had already held a meeting with Dar on Sunday. Both the deputy premier and the army chief had arrived in Turkiye a day earlier.
