U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday welcomed a new mutual defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, describing it as a major step toward greater regional self-reliance.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was pleased to see the three countries “recently, and finally” sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, adding that it showed the Middle East “coming together” and that countries would be able to defend themselves “in a more meaningful way.” He called the pact a “BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP.”
The agreement was signed on August 7 in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, formalising long-standing security ties among the three countries into a NATO-style collective defence arrangement. Under its terms, an armed attack on any one of the three signatories would be treated as an attack on all three, with provisions for expanded military coordination, joint exercises and cooperation on defence technology.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the pact was intended to strengthen collective deterrence, while officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have described the arrangement as purely defensive and not aimed at forming a military or sectarian bloc.
The pact follows nearly a year of negotiations and comes as Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks from Iran, Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen and Shia armed groups in Iraq since the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28. It also comes as Washington’s regional allies look to bolster their own security arrangements amid heightened tensions across the Middle East.
India said on August 11 it was examining the pact’s implications for its national security and for regional peace and stability, adding that it remained committed to safeguarding its own interests.
