Mecca defence pact enters implementation phase as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan approve rapid military deployment
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan move to implement their Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, approving steps to provide agreed forces and military capabilities for rapid deployment in the kingdom.
Euro Times – Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have moved into the implementation phase of their collective defence commitments under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement after a meeting in Riyadh focused on regional security developments and threats facing the kingdom.
Under the joint statement, the three countries agreed to take the necessary steps to provide the forces and military capabilities already agreed upon and ensure they can be rapidly deployed inside Saudi Arabia when required, moving the pact from a political framework toward an operational defence mechanism.
Meeting amid the Yemen war
The decision comes as fighting in Yemen intensifies, with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces conducting operations against the Houthis and concern growing over threats to Saudi cities, infrastructure and maritime routes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
The statement condemned attempts to target Mecca and Medina and attacks on Saudi civilian and economic facilities, reaffirming the three countries’ commitment to one another’s security under the pact.
A permanent structure
The meeting also endorsed earlier political and military consultations and appointed retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general for a three-year term.
The statement did not specify the number of troops that could be deployed or the types of weapons and military capabilities involved. Details of any actual deployment therefore remain subject to military arrangements among the three countries.
