The Mecca Pact was put into effect on Monday, as Pakistan and Turkey agreed to work towards the rapid deployment of troops and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia under their newly established mutual defence alliance.
The decision followed an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense, held in Riyadh on October 5. The development comes amid persistent attacks and growing security concerns in Saudi Arabia, including threats associated with the Iran-aligned Houthi group.
“The Emergency Meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee under the Makkah Alliance for Defense reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of our countries in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites. The committee agreed to activate collective deterrence measures within the framework of the Alliance in response to the attacks and all those responsible for them,” Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud said in a post on X.
The meeting took place amid continued attacks by the Houthi rebel group targeting Saudi Arabia, as part of the wider conflict in West Asia.
The joint statement shared by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, the committee had decided on the “immediate transition to the practical implementation of collective defense commitments” and agreed to take the necessary measures to provide the forces and military capabilities previously agreed upon and “to swiftly deploy them in the Kingdom”.
The statement said the deployment would take place in line with the agreed arrangements and the national laws of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey.
The move is intended to bolster military preparedness, strengthen coordination among the three countries and enhance their collective capacity to address security threats.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey also condemned what they described as attempts to target Mecca and Madina, as well as continued attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic infrastructure.
The three countries commended the Saudi Armed Forces for their vigilance, preparedness and efforts to safeguard the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.
The meeting also represented an important institutional development for the alliance, with the committee appointing retired Pakistan Army Lieutenant General Numan Mahmud as its first Secretary-General for a three-year tenure.
The three countries said the security of each member was an essential component of their shared security. They emphasised that implementing the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense reflected their commitment to collective defence and would help reinforce deterrence.
“The member states affirmed that the security of each member state is an indivisible part of the collective security of the three states,” the statement said.
The activation of the agreement comes as Saudi Arabia continues to face attacks from the Houthis, with the group claiming that some of its strikes have targeted the kingdom’s energy infrastructure.
The latest development represents a major step in defence cooperation among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, with the three nations indicating their intent to mount a coordinated response to threats against the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.
