Pakistan: 'Mecca for Joint Defense' agreement harbors no aggressive intentions whatsoever - Sarmad
(KUNA) — Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement carries no aggressive objectives whatsoever; it is a defensive pact that enhances peace, development, and prosperity in the region.
Sharif clarified during a cabinet meeting regarding the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, that “the agreement in no way targets aggression against any party, but is exclusively for defensive purposes and to achieve peace, development, and prosperity in the region.”
He noted that Pakistan has, for decades, shared with Saudi Arabia the duty of protecting the Two Holy Mosques, with an official agreement on this matter concluded last year, and considered the current agreement an extension of that earlier pact.
The Pakistani Prime Minister stated that the agreement among the three countries aims to achieve peace, security, and prosperity in the region, pointing out that cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey has existed for decades and that the trilateral defense agreement continues existing cooperation.
He added that the responsibility to protect the Two Holy Mosques is a significant duty borne by the Pakistani people and the armed forces, emphasizing that the agreement represents a source of strength for the Islamic Ummah.
Earlier, on Sunday evening, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar confirmed in a statement that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement remains open to any country in the region wishing to adhere to its basic principles and resolve disputes through mutual respect and cooperation by peaceful means.
He added that the agreement is the fruit of years of discussions and coordination, driven by a shared desire to enhance strategic cooperation to address various peace and security challenges and to advance regional peace, stability, and prosperity, clarifying that the agreement “does not nullify or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these countries or between them and other states or organizations.”
The Pakistani Foreign Minister stated that “any external armed attack on any of the three countries will 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.”
