Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan have formally entered into the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a landmark pact aimed at deepening military cooperation and safeguarding regional stability among the three nations.
The deal was finalized at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, hosted at Al-Safa Palace on August 7, 2026. The gathering followed a visit to the Kingdom by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who traveled to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
What the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement Covers
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, alongside Erdogan and Shehbaz Sharif, put pen to paper on the agreement, underscoring what officials described as a joint resolve to reinforce collective security and foster lasting peace across the region and beyond.
During the summit, leaders took stock of the close ties binding Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, touching on a range of shared concerns. Officials pointed to decades of historical connection and a shared sense of Islamic fraternity as the foundation for expanding existing defence ties into a more robust, unified security structure.
Central to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is a pledge of collective deterrence, meaning that any military assault on one of the three nations will be treated as an assault on all three. The pact also opens the door to broader defence collaboration spanning multiple sectors, as the signatories work toward a more resilient and secure future together.
Pakistan’s Diplomatic Role and Delegation Visit
The signing came on the same day Pakistani officials, who have been working to broker an end to the conflict between the United States and Iran, held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Makkah. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, joined other senior figures for the meeting at Qasr al-Safa.
Per Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office, the bilateral discussion involved a substantial delegation from Islamabad. This latest agreement builds on a mutual defence understanding Pakistan reached with Saudi Arabia the previous year, under which an attack on either country would be regarded as an attack on both.
Shehbaz Sharif landed in Jeddah on Thursday, where Makkah Deputy Governor Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz welcomed him. Field Marshal Munir subsequently joined the delegation, which also featured Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.
On Friday morning, the visiting delegation performed Umrah at the Holy Kaaba, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Shehbaz Sharif’s itinerary also includes a planned visit to Masjid-i-Nabvi in Madina.