Makkah defence pact will not expand for now, Pakistan says

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday that the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was “defensive” in nature, adding that expansion of the pact was currently “not on the cards”.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks while addressing a weekly press briefing. He said that the pact was primarily a “defensive alliance to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence”.

He said that expansion of the pact was currently “not on the cards”, adding that “Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye must first further consolidate their organisation and cooperation”.

He said that following the consolidation, the agreement will be “open to all countries that share similar stances and perspectives”.

The spokesperson said that the three member states were holding consultations at various levels under the framework.

He reiterated that the states will make a decision on the agreement’s expansion at a later stage.

“At this stage, there are no discussions regarding the expansion of the Makkah agreement,” he said.

He said information on future meetings will be shared “on an ongoing basis”, adding that exact timing was not yet known.

Sajjad said the pact was in the initial stage of formation and detailed consultations on “its structure, procedures and other matters” will be held.

“Significant work lies ahead to finalise the organisation’s structure, mechanisms, and procedures,” he said, adding that any future developments will become clear in due course.

The defence pact, signed on August 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul, where it was decided that a secretariat headed by a secretary general will be established in Saudi Arabia to support the alliance’s work under the agreement. The secretariat will initially be headed by a secretary general from Pakistan for a period of three years.