Amidst regional unrest, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey establish a defence agreement

According to a joint statement released on Friday by Saudi state media and Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three nations would be considered an attack against them all. The statement went on to say that it represents “the three states’ shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future.”

Thailand has seen a number of deadly mass shootings in recent years, such as the 2025 market shooting in Bangkok that claimed five lives, the 2023 shooting at a posh Bangkok shopping center and the 2022 creche massacre in northeastern Thailand that claimed 36 lives, including 22 children.

The agreement was made one day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Saudi Arabia and completed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca with influential army chief Asim Munir. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also visited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday. Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly hit by Iran, Tehran’s Houthi allies in Yemen, and Shia armed groups in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia’s oil exports and ambitious development plans have been put in jeopardy by the conflict, which also casts doubt on the long-standing US security cover. Both Pakistan and Turkey are eager to resolve regional crises that endanger their economies and security, even if they have avoided major direct strikes.

After over a year of negotiations, the agreement is known as the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.” A deal that strengthens long-standing bilateral military ties gains symbolic weight when it is sealed in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. For many years, Pakistan has given Saudi forces technical support and training, and Turkiye and Pakistan have traded training planes and vessels. In what Ankara described as its biggest defence export deal, Riyadh consented to purchase Turkish drones in 2023.