New Delhi, Aug 9 (NVI) Two days after signing trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pakistan today said other countries can also join the group, seen as formation of a military alliance by the three Islamic nations.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said the agreement was not directed against any country as it was “purely defensive in nature”.
On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the trilateral agreement in Mecca.
The agreement stipulates “that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”
In a social media post, Dar said this stipulation was consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Claiming that the agreement reflected a shared desire to strengthen strategic security cooperation among the three nations, he said other countries could join if they were willing to uphold its principles and resolve differences through peaceful means.
The trilateral agreement is seen as formation of a military alliance among the three Islamic countries and India, towards which Pakistan has a hostile attitude, is watching.
During the Operation Sindoor and the related brief conflict with India in May last year, Pakistan was helped by Turkey with drones despite the two nations having no prior defence pact.
Dar’s statement came a day after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the agreement was not aimed at Iran or any other country.
“The Makkah Accord does not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these countries, or with other countries or organizations,” he wrote.
His comments followed overnight public celebrations of the agreement in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Saudi cities were also illuminated in the colors of the Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani flags.
The three countries bring significant but differing capabilities to the strategic arrangement.
Pakistan is the only Muslim country with a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia brings substantial economic resources and regional influence; and NATO member Turkey has a large military and an increasingly sophisticated domestic defense industry.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have maintained close military ties for decades and signed a separate mutual-defense agreement in September 2025.
Pakistan and Turkey also have expanded military and defense-industrial cooperation in recent years. (NVI)
