The New Muslim Alliance Is Activated/Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Launch Collective Defense Pact

The first meeting of the committee established to implement the joint defense agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will be held on Monday in Istanbul.

The three countries will be represented at the meeting by their foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff. The Mecca Common Defense Agreement was signed on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Under the pact, any armed attack against one of the three countries will be treated as aggression against all of them. This principle is similar to the collective defense mechanism set out in Article 5 of NATO.

A source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the Istanbul meeting would address international security developments, ways to strengthen defense capabilities and increased cooperation among the armed forces.

An important part of the discussions will focus on expanding cooperation in the defense industry, including the joint development and production of military equipment.

The alliance comprises three Sunni Muslim states and U.S. allies that are concerned about the war with Iran, Iranian missile strikes in the Persian Gulf and Israel’s military policy. Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO, Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, while Saudi Arabia ranks among the leading oil exporters.

Ankara has stressed that the pact was not created to replace existing alliances. The agreement also remains open to the membership of other states, while Egypt is mentioned as a possible candidate to join in the future.