Pakistan says Mecca Agreement purely defensive in nature

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the trilateral Mecca defence agreement signed last week by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan is purely defensive in nature and is not directed against any country.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, Foreign Minister Dar said the sole purpose of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is to further strengthen joint efforts towards peace, stability, and prosperity in the wider region.

The agreement, signed by the three countries on Friday (7/8) in the holy city of Mecca, treats an attack on any one of the states as an attack on all three.

Dar said the defence pact remains open to any country in the region willing to uphold its fundamental principles and resolve differences through “mutual respect, cooperation, and peaceful means.”

He reiterated that under the agreement, any armed attack against one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all of them, in accordance with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

The pact, he said, does not nullify or replace existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between those countries, or with other states or organisations.

The Mecca Agreement is the culmination of years of discussion and coordination, with a shared desire to strengthen strategic cooperation in addressing various peace and security challenges and advancing regional peace, stability, and prosperity, Dar said.

He described the pact as consistent with the fundamental pillars of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

Islamabad hopes to continue working with all brotherly countries in the region towards lasting peace and stability, he said.

“We remain committed to advancing the peaceful resolution of conflicts and building a safer, more stable, and more prosperous future for our peoples,” Dar said.