Mecca Defense Alliance holds emergency meeting, appoints first secretary-general

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey held an emergency meeting of the Mecca Defense Alliance’s political and strategic committee in Riyadh today to discuss security developments and threats facing the Kingdom.

As part of the alliance’s institutional development, the committee announced the appointment of retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood of Pakistan as the alliance’s first secretary-general for a three-year term. The member states welcomed Mahmood’s appointment, expressing confidence in his ability to advance the alliance and achieve its objectives.

The member states strongly condemned attempts to target Mecca and Madinah, as well as ongoing attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic facilities. They reaffirmed their unequivocal rejection of any aggression or threat to the Kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.

Pakistan and Turkey praised the vigilance and readiness of Saudi Arabia’s armed forces, commending their professionalism and high level of competence in countering threats and safeguarding the Kingdom’s security and territory.

Practical steps to strengthen joint defense

The committee reviewed the outcomes of previous political and military consultations and approved the submitted recommendations, emphasizing that the Mecca Defense Alliance represents a firm commitment to joint defense and a unified stance against threats.

The committee decided to immediately move forward with implementing joint defense commitments, taking necessary measures to provide agreed military forces and capabilities and to rapidly deploy them in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with approved arrangements and national legislation of the member states, to enhance readiness, military integration, and collective capacity to counter threats.

The member states affirmed that the security of each country is an integral part of the collective security of all three, and that implementing the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement demonstrates the credibility of their commitment, strengthens deterrence, and unifies their efforts to defend their security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.