Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed at emergency talks in Riyadh to activate their mutual defence commitments and rapidly deploy agreed forces to the kingdom. The decision advances the pact signed in August from consultation to implementation. Force types, numbers and arrival dates were not announced, and deployments must comply with each member’s laws.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed at emergency talks in Riyadh on 5 October to activate their mutual defence commitments and rapidly deploy agreed forces to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced the decision after the meeting in the Saudi capital. Defence and foreign ministers gathered as the three states invoked the Mecca mutual defence agreement for the first time.[1], [2]
The joint statement calls for the agreed military forces and capabilities to be supplied and rapidly deployed under approved arrangements and each member’s national laws. It did not specify force types, numbers or arrival dates. The pact was signed on 7 August and treats an attack on one member as an attack on all three. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said the alliance reaffirmed solidarity in response to attacks on the kingdom and holy sites.[1]
The meeting took place during a counteroffensive by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces against the Houthis, the armed movement in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition said it was providing air support to that operation. In September, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif had said attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate the agreement. The new decision now calls for practical implementation of the defence commitments.[1]
