Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Türkiye's Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Saudi Arabia's Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili pose before the first committee meeting under the joint defense accord, the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement", in Istanbul, Türkiye, August 31, 2026. (Reuters)r
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz arrived in the Turkish city of Istanbul to head the Kingdom’s delegation at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement.
The ministers of defense and foreign affairs, commanders of the armed forces and senior Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials are taking part in the meeting to discuss international security and bolstering cooperation and defense integration between their countries.
The meeting is scheduled to discuss developing defense capabilities, boosting operational integration among the armed forces, and cooperating in defense industries, including joint production and research and development, and strengthening joint efforts to combat terrorism.
The meeting will discuss the establishment of a framework for the general secretariat and its associated mechanisms, as well as defining areas of joint work and preparing a roadmap for future steps within the framework of the agreement.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in Makkah on August 7, in the presence of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
