Pakistan: Joining the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" remains open to any country in the region

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, affirmed that membership in the “Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense,” signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, remains open to any country in the region that wishes to adhere to the agreement’s core principles and resolve disputes through mutual respect and cooperation by peaceful means.

In a statement, Ishaq Dar said the agreement reflects the deep fraternal ties linking the leaderships and peoples of the three countries, noting that it represents the outcome of years of consultations and coordination, driven by a shared desire to strengthen strategic cooperation in addressing various peace and security challenges, and to advance the process of regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

He emphasized that the agreement “does not nullify or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements among the three signatory states or between them and other countries or organizations.”

The Pakistani Foreign Minister highlighted that “any external armed attack on any of the three countries would be considered an attack on all of them, in accordance with the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” stressing that the agreement is “strictly defensive in nature and not directed against any state,” with its sole objective being “to enhance our ongoing efforts to achieve peace, stability, and prosperity across the entire region.”

Ishaq Dar expressed Pakistan’s hope to continue working closely with all countries in the region to achieve lasting peace and stability, reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to “advancing the peaceful resolution of all conflicts and building a safer, more stable, and more prosperous future for our peoples.”