Turkish president departs Saudi Arabia after signing Mecca defense pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan departed Jeddah today following his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan was seen off at King Abdulaziz International Airport by Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz and Minister of State and Cabinet Member for Shura Council Affairs Issam bin Saad bin Saeed, who served as the accompanying minister.

Also present at the farewell were Jeddah Mayor Ihsan Bafakih, Saudi Ambassador to Turkey Fahd bin Asaad Abu Al-Nasr, Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Emrullah Isler, Acting Director of Makkah Region Police Major General Othman bin Abdulrahman Al-Yousef, and Director of Royal Protocol in Makkah Region Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Dhafer.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, establishing a trilateral framework for defense cooperation. The pact stipulates that any armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all, aiming to strengthen collective deterrence and support regional security and stability.

The agreement was signed during the Mecca Joint Defense Summit, held in Mecca, by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

According to the joint statement, the agreement aims to bolster collective deterrence against any aggression and enhance all aspects of defense cooperation among the three nations to reinforce their shared security.