Pakistan ratifies Mecca defense pact with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia

Pakistan has completed ratification of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement it signed with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in August, its Foreign Office said, adding that Saudi Arabia has also ratified the pact.

Pakistan has completed the ratification process for the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement it signed with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Friday.

Khan said Saudi Arabia had also completed its ratification. Issues related to ratification and entry into force are still being discussed by the three countries' Strategic, Political and Defense Committee, which last met on Oct. 5, he said, noting that each country follows its own constitutional and legal procedures.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman

He described the agreement as defensive in nature and consistent with the U.N. Charter, saying it reflects the three countries' shared will to strengthen collective defense and regional security and stability. Pakistan remains committed to the letter and spirit of the pact, he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman signed the agreement in Mecca on Aug. 7. In Türkiye, the agreement has been submitted to parliament, and the Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to take it up on Tuesday.

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