Pakistan, KSA, Turkiye military chiefs slam attack on Makkah

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday held an urgent meeting of their top military commanders in Riyadh under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), marking the first exclusive high-level military coordination between the three countries since the trilateral defence pact was signed last month. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and Saudi Chief of General Staff Gen Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili attended the meeting in the Saudi capital, according to a statement issued by the military's media wing. The chiefs of defense forces and chiefs of general staff reviewed the security situation and the threats facing the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They strongly resented the attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah and civilian and economic infrastructure, the Inter-Services Public Relations said. They appreciated the vigilance and professionalism of the Saudi armed forces for ensuring safety of the people and security of the kingdom, it added. The participants also discussed ways to further advance cooperation among the armed forces of the three countries and to enhance intelligence sharing, military coordination, and capability integration, thereby strengthening deterrence and collective defense. The participants commended the longstanding relations and mutual trust that bind the people and the armed forces of the three countries. They noted that their meeting in Riyadh reflects the strength of their defense partnership and their shared determination to immediately translate the commitments of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement into effective military cooperation. The participants strongly affirmed their commitment to collective defense thereby demonstrating the resolve of the three countries in defending the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting came hours after the foreign ministers of the three countries agreed in New York to convene their military chiefs amid intensified attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. The development effectively takes the Makkah agreement from the political and institutionalisation phase into military-level consultations. The military commanders' meeting assumes particular significance because the MJDA contains a collective-defence provision under which an attack against any one of the three parties would be considered an attack against all. The immediate backdrop is the escalation of attacks from Houthis targeting Saudi territory and critical infrastructure. Türkiye had already publicly expressed readiness to help meet Saudi Arabia's military requirements under the defence agreement, while Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to Saudi Arabia's defence. The exact outcome of Friday's meeting, including whether the three sides agreed on any specific military assistance, deployments or operational arrangements, was not immediately disclosed. The meeting follows a decision by the foreign ministers in New York to prepare for urgent military consultations. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had reviewed progress on institutionalising the agreement and condemned attacks targeting Makkah as well as Saudi civilian and economic facilities. The ministers also reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's right to take measures it considers necessary for its defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which recognises the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence in the event of an armed attack. The Riyadh meeting therefore provides the first opportunity for the military leadership of the three countries to discuss how the collective-defence commitment could be translated into practical cooperation. The three countries have been steadily building the institutional architecture of the alliance since the agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. At the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul on August 31, the three sides agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Riyadh and discussed military interoperability, defence capabilities, defence-industry cooperation, joint production and research, as well as counterterrorism coordination. Pakistan subsequently appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, formally setting the process of establishing the Riyadh-based secretariat in motion. The three countries have also stressed that the alliance is defensive in nature and is not directed against any particular state. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance was founded on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference and remained open to other countries that shared those principles. For Pakistan and Turkiye, however, the current crisis presents a more immediate test of the agreement's collective-defence clause. Both countries have simultaneously sought to support Saudi Arabia's security while advocating de-escalation and diplomatic efforts to resolve the wider regional conflicts. The Riyadh meeting is consequently the first concrete military-level test of how the Makkah pact will operate when one of its members faces sustained attacks.