Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan Sign Defense Pact to Boost Collective Deterrence

On Friday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a defense agreement aimed at deepening cooperation among the three regional powers. The pact stipulates that any armed attack against one of the countries will be considered an attack against all three, strengthening their collective deterrence against aggression, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The agreement was signed during a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia. It also aims to enhance all aspects of security cooperation among the nations, which include an oil-rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear-armed Pakistan, and Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry.

Turkish media reported that the pact is expected to lead to joint military exercises, training, and intelligence and technological information sharing. This trilateral agreement builds on a previous September defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which defined any attack on one as an attack on both. The Associated Press noted Turkey's entry into the pact comes amid escalating tensions with Israel over Gaza and other regional conflicts involving Iran and Lebanon.