Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan hold first Mecca Defense Agreement meeting as more countries eye joining pact

Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are gathering in Istanbul on Monday for the inaugural meeting of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed August 7. Ahead of the meeting, Pakistan said several countries have already shown interest in joining the defense pact.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said over the weekend in the UK that six to seven Muslim-majority countries have expressed interest in joining the pact, without naming them, adding that officials are working on a framework to make accession easier. Bangladesh has been the latest country to signal openness to joining. At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said earlier this month the pact could expand to include other regional states, like Egypt.

The pact stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all, similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause.

The agreement brings together three Sunni Muslim US allies concerned by the ongoing Iran war and the broader regional conflict, which has included Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters. Six months into the war, negotiations remain at an impasse, and the Trump administration has escalated financial pressure on Tehran through what it has called an "economic D-Day."

Turkey, which fields NATO's second-largest military, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is open to further expansion and is not intended to replace existing alliances. President Trump praised the agreement, calling it a bold first step that allows nations to defend themselves.