Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign joint defense agreement
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca on Friday against the backdrop of the Iran conflict, marking the first time the region’s leading Sunni powers have signed a formal military pact. Under its terms, an attack on any of the three states will be regarded as an attack on them all, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the document in Mecca.
Turkey, a NATO member, has the alliance’s second-largest standing army, Pakistan is the Muslim world’s sole nuclear power, and Saudi Arabia is the custodian of Mecca and Medina, where the Prophet Mohammad is buried.
The timing and venue of the signing — on a Friday, the Muslim holy day of prayer, in Mecca — underscore the symbolism of an agreement among three of the Muslim world’s leading Sunni states. Diplomats in the region briefing Al-Monitor on background said there is little doubt that the pact is aimed at countering Shiite Iran’s influence. Israel, however, is also likely to perceive the agreement as a threat in light of its steadily deteriorating ties with Turkey, the only country of the three that formally recognizes the Jewish state. The move follows Saudi Arabia’s announcement last week of a Red Sea alliance.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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