ISTANBUL, Turkiye: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye had been renamed the “Makkah Defence Alliance”, with its secretariat to be based in Riyadh and its first secretary-general to be appointed from Pakistan.
The Turkish Foreign Minister made the announcement while addressing a press conference following the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, held in Istanbul.
Foreign and defence ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, as well as Chiefs of Defence Forces/Chiefs of General Staff of the three countries, attended the meeting in Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace.
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.
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. “There is a secretariat that has been established in Riyadh, and the first secretary general will be appointed amongst our Pakistani brothers,” he said.
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.
Previously, the tri-nation agreement had been named as the “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.”
The Turkish Foreign Minister said that they were working on a roadmap for the 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 Turkish Foreign Minister said that the meeting would also discuss global and regional security issues, strengthening the defence capabilities of the three countries and enhancing coordination among their armed forces.
Foreign Minister Fidan said the defence pact aimed at strengthening joint defence capabilities and collective deterrence.
Pakistan’s participation in the meeting reflects its historic bonds of friendship with the brotherly countries of Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, as well as its commitment to lasting regional peace and stability.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on August 7 in Makkah between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The defence agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said the Makkah Defence Alliance was “established with the aim of expanding.”
Fidan hoped that decisions taken in the meeting will yield “excellent results”.
“For the future of a secure, stable and prosperous region, this alliance is based on international principles such as respecting the sovereignty of other states, territorial integrity and not intervening in internal affairs,” he said, adding that the alliance was not against any country.
He maintained that the alliance was “open for the partnership and participation of any other country”. However, Fidan stressed that while the alliance was open, “there are some conditions, rules and standards”, adding that the alliance’s nature was such that it was “expected to expand”.
Stressing the need for institutionalisation of the alliance, he said: “If an ally wants to join, the alliance should be functional in a proper manner by then.”
He added that the Makkah Defence Alliance did not “eliminate our countries’ responsibilities to other agreements or alliances”.
“We will closely cooperate with friendly countries, and we will continue coordinating our efforts,” he said.
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.
