Pakistan has said six to seven Muslim-majority countries have expressed interest in joining the Mecca Defence Agreement, as senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey meet in Istanbul on Monday to discuss security and military cooperation.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said over the weekend that officials from the three countries were working on a framework that would allow other nations to join the pact. He did not identify the countries that have shown interest.
Bangladesh is the latest country to signal its interest in joining the agreement, which was signed on August 7. The pact stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three signatories will be treated as an attack against all three, Bloomberg reported.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had earlier said the mutual defence agreement could be expanded to include other regional countries, including Egypt.
Dar is attending the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the trilateral agreement, alongside his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Defence ministers and military chiefs from the three countries are also expected to participate.
According to an earlier statement by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, the meeting will cover international security issues, efforts to improve interoperability among the armed forces of the three countries and closer cooperation in the defence industry.
The committee is also expected to establish a framework for a secretariat that will coordinate activities under the agreement.
The Mecca Defence Agreement provides for mutual support in the event of an armed attack against any of its three members.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance would remain open to other countries in the region.
“There is a secretariat that has been established in Riyadh, and the first secretary general will be appointed amongst our Pakistani brothers,” Fidan said at a press conference following Monday’s meeting.
He said the alliance was based on international principles including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in internal affairs.
Fidan added that the alliance remained “open for the partnership and participation of any other country” in the region.
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the August 7 agreement, held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on Monday.
The committee is tasked with developing mechanisms to implement the political commitment made by the three countries and establishing a framework for coordinating activities under the alliance.
US President Donald Trump has praised the agreement, describing it as a bold first step that would enable the participating countries to defend themselves.
Pakistan has also been playing a key mediating role between the United States and Iran amid efforts to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have been engaged with US and Iranian leaders as part of diplomatic efforts to help bring an end to the conflict.
