By Shakir Husain
HYDERABAD, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- The leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Friday signed an agreement to boost collective defence against any aggression.
The Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their summit at Al Safa Palace in Makkah.
“The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all,” a joint statement said.
“It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three states,” it added.
Pakistan, one of the world's nine countries possessing nuclear weapons, has historically enjoyed close defence relations with both Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
The trilateral Makkah agreement reflects the “shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future,” the joint statement said.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's deputy public diplomacy minister, Rayed Krimly, said in a post on the social media platform X that the pact enables the countries ‘to develop joint defence capabilities, strengthen strategic deterrence, enhance readiness, and further develop and integrate their respective defence capabilities to jointly address any threats to their safety and security.”
He said the pact neither threatens the security of any country in the region nor represents an escalation of tensions between any two states.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a defence agreement in September last year that obligates them to come to each other's aid in the event of external aggression.
-- BERNAMA