Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have reviewed steps towards establishing the institutional framework of their trilateral defence arrangement, as the three countries move ahead with implementation of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA).
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Delegations from all three countries also participated.
“Under the framework of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), we reviewed progress towards establishing the institutional structures under the Agreement,” Dar said in a post on X.
The foreign ministers also “exchanged views on regional and international security issues,” he added.
The MJDA was formalised by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7, creating a trilateral security framework intended to deepen defence cooperation, strengthen collective deterrence and promote regional stability.
Its establishment followed a bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia earlier in August, under which the two countries declared that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”.
A significant step towards putting the trilateral agreement into operation came on Wednesday with the appointment of Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as its first secretary general.
Pakistan is providing the inaugural head of the MJDA’s general secretariat, which is being established in Riyadh. The secretariat is expected to oversee implementation of the agreement, coordinate joint activities and facilitate expanded defence cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.