Mecca Pact Member States Committee to Meet in Istanbul on Monday

The inaugural meeting of the political and defence committees of several member states of the Mecca Joint Defence Pact will be held in Istanbul on Monday, according to sources from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The first meeting of the political and defence committees of the Mecca Pact countries will be held in Istanbul on 31 August 2026. The meeting is planned to discuss international security, developments in defence capabilities, the strengthening of operational interoperability of the armed forces of the three countries, defence industry cooperation, including joint production, research and development, as well as counter-terrorism efforts,” a source told the RIA Novosti news agency.

The meeting will also discuss the roadmap for several initiatives to be decided upon by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia in the future.

Turkey will send Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu to the meeting. The Pakistani delegation is expected to include Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Army Chief Asim Munir. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will send Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz, and Chief of General Staff Fayyad Al Ruwaili.

The Mecca Joint Defence Pact was signed on 7 August 2026, establishing a framework for strengthened collective prevention, whereby an armed attack against one party is considered an attack against all three nations. The agreement also encompasses the expansion of military cooperation, coordination, and joint defence industry programmes.

According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the pact does not aim to oppose any specific country and remains open to regional nations seeking the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity.