Riyadh: Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have reviewed regional security developments and progress towards establishing the institutional structure of the Makkah Defence Alliance amid Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The meeting brought together Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi and Turkish counterparts to discuss implementing the trilateral defence agreement signed on August 7.
According to the Saudi foreign ministry, the three sides reviewed progress on establishing the alliance’s General Secretariat, committees, and working groups, as well as preparations to begin operations.
The ministers also discussed arrangements for an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to consider measures to support Saudi Arabia under the Joint Defence Agreement.
The agreement provides that an armed attack against one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three.
The discussions followed Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory. The group said it had launched dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Thursday, while Saudi authorities said six ballistic missiles had been intercepted.
Saudi Arabia had also issued emergency alerts for areas including Makkah, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil port.
The Saudi foreign ministry said the three countries condemned attacks targeting Makkah and other civilian sites and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself.
Dar said the three foreign ministers exchanged views on regional and international security issues and reviewed progress towards establishing institutional structures under the defence agreement.
Turkiye’s defence ministry later said Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his Pakistani and Saudi counterparts as part of the trilateral framework.
The three countries also reaffirmed their support for efforts to reduce regional tensions and pursue peaceful solutions to the ongoing crisis, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.
