Turkish, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani officials met in Istanbul on Monday for a first committee meeting under the joint defence accord they recently signed.
The meeting was attended by the foreign and defence ministers, as well as senior army officials, from the three countries.
The allies of the US signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 to deepen military and defence co-operation. The accord stipulates an armed attack against any member will be regarded as an attack on all, similar to Nato's Article 5 collective defence clause.
The countries later announced they would establish political and military mechanisms to co-ordinate their defence and security policies in line with the pact.
Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Defence Minister, said on X his country affirmed during the Istanbul meeting its commitment “to moving forward with implementing the agreement’s various tracks in a way that strengthens joint political and defence integration, and supports security and stability”.
The agreement was signed as the Middle East remains embroiled in the Iran war. The conflict has featured sporadic Iranian missile attacks on Gulf states, adding to security concerns among regional powers.
On Monday, the UAE strongly condemned an Iranian attack on the country, which it said served as a “dangerous escalation”, posing a “direct threat” to the safety of citizens and residents. It came after Jordan said it had intercepted eight missiles after Iran claimed it attacked US bases in the kingdom in retaliation for American strikes overnight on Larak Island just off the Strait of Hormuz.
Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, said after the Istanbul meeting that a road map was being worked on for the process of other countries joining the joint pact.
Earlier this month, Egypt said it must “carefully” consider legal and constitutional issues before it decides on whether to join the defence pact.
