Pakistan to lead Makkah Defence Alliance secretariat
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan establish permanent secretariat in Riyadh, give Pakistan first three-year leadership term and begin building what Ankara calls new regional security architecture
ISTANBUL, Türkiye (MNTV) – Pakistan will provide the first secretary-general of the newly named Makkah Defence Alliance for a three-year term, while a permanent secretariat will operate from Saudi Arabia.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday moved their collective-defence pact from a political declaration toward an institutional security structure.
Foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs of the three Muslim-majority countries reached the decisions Monday at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee in Istanbul.
The committee was established under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence, signed by the leaders of the three countries in the Saudi city of Makkah on Aug. 7.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the decisions at a press conference after the Istanbul meeting.
“We took a historic step in Makkah under the leadership of our president,” Fidan said.
He described the agreement as a product of “regional ownership” and said countries of the region needed to take greater responsibility for their own security.
Fidan said attempts to impose solutions on the region from outside had failed to solve its problems and had often imposed high costs.
“It has become an urgent necessity for the countries of the region to act together for security, stability, prosperity and lasting peace,” Fidan said.
“With this agreement, the process of establishing a new security and cooperation architecture in our region has thus begun.”
Pakistan gets first leadership term
Fidan said the Istanbul meeting agreed on an official name for the grouping.
“The official name of our alliance is the Makkah Defence Alliance,” he said.
The three governments also agreed to establish the alliance’s secretariat in Saudi Arabia.
“There is a secretariat that has been established in Riyadh, and the first secretary-general will be appointed amongst our Pakistani brothers,” Fidan said.
The joint statement issued after the meeting provided another important detail: Pakistan will hold the post for an initial three-year term.
The decision gives Islamabad the first executive leadership role in the alliance’s permanent institutional structure.
Fidan said Monday’s talks had concentrated on turning the Aug. 7 agreement into a functioning organization.
“We held a comprehensive exchange of views on the concrete steps we will take in the implementation of the agreement,” he said.
The three countries have now begun work on the institutional mechanisms required to implement the pact.
Attack on one is attack on all
At the heart of the Makkah agreement is a collective-defence commitment.
An armed attack against Türkiye, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia will be considered an attack against all three.
The provision has been compared with NATO’s Article 5 principle of collective defense.
Fidan himself has previously said the provision is technically similar to Article 5.
However, the Makkah Defence Alliance does not yet have NATO’s integrated military command, standing forces or permanent combined military headquarters.
Monday’s meeting therefore focused on building the institutions needed to give the collective-defense commitment practical credibility.
The joint statement said the three countries agreed to further institutionalize their cooperation to strengthen their solidarity and ensure the “credibility and effectiveness” of their collective deterrence and defense.
Fidan said the alliance should eventually reduce the strategic uncertainty that has characterized the region.
“With this alliance, we will see greater stability gradually emerge in the region and uncertainty diminish,” he said.
Regional ownership at heart of alliance
Fidan said the alliance reflected the view that countries of the region should build mechanisms to protect their own security instead of relying exclusively on outside powers.
The three governments made the same point in their joint statement.
Acting with “a sense of regional ownership,” they said they would work through the Makkah agreement to achieve sustainable peace and stability.
They also pledged to support de-escalation and restraint and encourage peaceful settlement of regional crises.
The statement said institutional implementation of the agreement would contribute to a “just, inclusive and lasting peace.”
Fidan said Monday’s meeting demonstrated that the three countries were prepared to shoulder that responsibility.
“We have demonstrated our readiness to assume responsibility for regional peace, security and stability,” he said.
Joint exercises and defense production
The Istanbul meeting also began laying out the military dimension of the alliance.
The three countries agreed to strengthen the cohesion and interoperability of their armed forces.
This will include joint activities and military exercises aimed at allowing the three militaries to work together more effectively.
Interoperability could eventually require compatible communications, command procedures, weapons systems, logistics and operational planning.
The joint statement also placed strong emphasis on defense-industrial integration.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agreed to strengthen their defense capabilities through “robust defense industry cooperation, joint technology development and production.”
That could make the alliance much more than an agreement to assist one another during an attack.
It creates the possibility of a common defense-industrial ecosystem involving investment, research, technology transfer and joint weapons production.
Türkiye brings a rapidly expanding defense industry that produces drones, missiles, armored vehicles, naval platforms and air-defense systems. Ankara is also developing the KAAN fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Saudi Arabia brings substantial financial resources and is seeking to expand domestic defense production and technology transfer under its Vision 2030 program.
Pakistan brings a large military, nuclear capability, extensive operational experience and an established aerospace and defense-manufacturing sector.
The three countries could therefore potentially combine Saudi financing, Turkish technology and Pakistani military-industrial experience in major joint projects.
Intelligence and counterterrorism
Security and counterterrorism cooperation also form part of the emerging structure.
The three countries discussed stronger intelligence coordination and security consultations.
Such cooperation could eventually cover threats to strategic infrastructure and important maritime routes.
The Istanbul meeting also examined joint research and development and coordinated operational frameworks.
The objective is to make the three armed forces capable of operating together rather than merely promising political support to one another.
Fidan made clear that Ankara does not envision the alliance remaining limited to its three founding countries.
“The Makkah Defence Alliance was established with the aim of expanding,” he said.
He said other regional countries could join, but the three founding members first needed to build a strong institutional foundation.
“The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement has been signed, and its objective is indeed to expand, but initially, the foundations must be solidly laid and it must be fully institutionalized,” Fidan said.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are working on a roadmap governing the conditions, procedures and standards for admitting new countries.
Fidan said expansion would take place gradually and would require the agreement of the three founding members.
“We are currently seeking to complete the most difficult stage of the process, which is the foundational stage, together,” he said.
Bangladesh has already publicly expressed interest in joining.
Egypt has also been discussed as a potential future member, while some Gulf political figures have advocated broader participation by Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Alliance not directed against another state
The timing of the alliance has inevitably raised questions about which threats the three countries are preparing to confront.
Fidan sought to dispel suggestions that the grouping is directed against a particular state.
“This alliance is founded on international principles such as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in their internal affairs,” he said.
“The alliance is not against any state and is open to all states in our region that adhere to these fundamental principles.”
That position is particularly significant because of the continuing US-Iran conflict.
Pakistan is a close security partner of Saudi Arabia but also shares a border and important political ties with Iran.
Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran on Aug. 24 as part of Pakistan’s efforts to reduce tensions surrounding the conflict.
Türkiye also maintains important economic and political relations with Tehran.
Fidan was far more explicit when questioned at the press conference about Israel and recent statements from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu portraying Türkiye as a strategic threat.
“Netanyahu, who has become a common enemy of humanity, the international community and security, is not a person to be taken seriously,” Fidan said.
“The international system must fight against the Netanyahu threat.”
The unusually strong language underscored the extent to which Israel’s military actions have entered Türkiye’s regional security calculations.
Pact will not replace NATO
Fidan also addressed questions about how the new alliance would affect Türkiye’s membership in NATO.
He said the Makkah Defence Alliance does not replace Türkiye’s obligations under NATO or other international agreements.
The alliance would instead complement existing security commitments.
Monday’s Istanbul meeting brought diplomatic and military decision-makers together in the same forum.
Türkiye was represented by Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Saudi Arabia was represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
The combination of foreign ministers, defense ministers, and military commanders gives the Strategic Political and Defense Committee authority across diplomatic, defense, and operational policy.
From Makkah declaration to permanent institution
The Istanbul meeting represents the first major attempt to turn the Aug. 7 agreement into a functioning security organization.
The alliance now has an official name. It will have a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan will provide its first secretary-general for three years.
The members have agreed to work on military interoperability, joint exercises, defense production, technology development and security coordination.
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