Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye sign joint defense agreement

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to deepen cooperation among the three regional powers amid rising regional security concerns, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, under which an armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against all, the ministry said in a statement.

The agreement was inked during a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia.

The pact, called the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," ties together the three countries amid the backdrop of the Middle East conflict.