Emergency meeting of 'Mecca Coalition' countries in Riyadh

Islamabad-Ankara-Agencies: Pakistan announced that a high-level delegation comprising the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister, and the Chief of Army Staff has traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense. According to a statement issued by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting, to be held in Riyadh, will be attended by senior officials from the member states: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey. The statement further noted that the Riyadh meeting will discuss the latest developments in the region and review ongoing cooperation under the Mecca Agreement.

In Ankara, a Turkish statement said, “The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in efforts to institutionalize the alliance.” It added that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Chief of the General Staff Salih Mirzayigit would attend the Strategic Political and Defense Committee meeting of the Mecca Agreement, alongside officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Last Friday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said the committee would hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh to discuss Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and ways to address them, as well as to review existing cooperation among the three countries. On the issue of membership, Dar revealed that more than six countries have expressed interest in joining the agreement, clarifying that discussions on membership applications would not be possible until the full implementation of the agreement is completed, a process that could take about a year.

The three countries signed the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense on August 7 last year, pledging that any attack on one of them would be considered an attack on all.