Turkey says roadmap underway for new members to join 'Mecca Pact'

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are preparing a roadmap to enable other countries to join the 'Mecca Pact', Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced after the first meeting of the Political and Defense Strategic Committee.

Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, Fidan said the Mecca Agreement has been named the 'Mecca Pact', explaining that the alliance is based on the principle of defense and is 'complementary to NATO', with the three countries beginning to establish its core structure.

He added that the three countries have taken steps to create an 'operational security framework for the region', while also working on a roadmap to allow other states to join the pact, stressing that regional countries must act together to secure peace.

Fidan described the formation of the 'Mecca Pact' as a 'historic step', noting that the meeting addressed international security issues, the development of defense capabilities, and enhancing interoperability among the armed forces of the three nations.

The meeting also discussed deepening cooperation in the defense industries, including joint production and research and development, as well as strengthening joint efforts to combat terrorism, according to Turkey's official Anadolu news agency.

The Saudi delegation included Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman, Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan, and Chief of the General Staff Fayyad Al-Ruwaili. The Turkish delegation comprised Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of Defense Yasar Guler, and Chief of the General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

The Pakistani delegation included Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister of Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.