By Urdu Report Editorial Team
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will be held in Istanbul today, August 31.
Foreign ministers, defence ministers and senior military leadership from all three countries will attend the meeting. Discussions will focus on joint defence, cooperation in the defence industry, counterterrorism, coordination among the three armed forces, and key regional and global security issues.
Senior Leadership to Attend
Türkiye will host the meeting, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu attending.
Pakistan will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Saudi Arabia will send Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
Follow-Up to Mecca Defence Agreement
The Istanbul meeting follows the agreement signed in Makkah on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A key provision of the agreement states that an attack on any one member country will be considered an attack against all parties. The provision is being viewed as the basis for a new collective security framework in the region.
The Istanbul meeting will also discuss strengthening defence capabilities, joint military exercises, research and production cooperation in the defence industry, and a joint strategy against terrorism.
Participants are also expected to consider the establishment of a secretariat for the committee, its institutional structure and a future roadmap.
Social Media Debate
The meeting is being welcomed on social media as an important development in defence cooperation among the three Muslim countries. Some users have described it as a new security alignment in the region, while others are discussing the agreement’s potential global impact and possible reactions from other countries.
Pakistani users, in particular, are linking Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s participation to the significance of the agreement.
Defence and regional affairs experts describe the Mecca Defence Agreement as a significant strategic development involving three major Muslim military and economic powers.
