Mecca: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed between Trkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan targets no country and remains open to participation of other friendly nations seeking peace, prosperity, and stability in the region.
According to TRTworld.com, Erdogan shared on the Turkish social platform NSosyal that the agreement, based on the principle of collective deterrence, would fortify security and defence cooperation, joint defence industry projects, and counterterrorism efforts. He emphasized that the deal reaffirms the right to self-defence as defined under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and extends an invitation to all brotherly countries seeking regional peace, prosperity, and stability.
Erdogan reiterated Trkiye's commitment to resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, respecting international law, and maintaining a vision of regional ownership. His visit to Mecca, upon the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, included discussions with both the Saudi crown prince and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Erdogan expressed optimism that this diplomatic engagement and the signing of the Joint Defence Agreement would benefit the entire region.
Turkish officials indicated that the agreement is a defence-oriented cooperation arrangement designed to strengthen commitments to regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity through burden-sharing and a common security approach. They noted that it aims to enhance collective deterrence against aggression, stipulating that an armed attack on any one of the three nations would be considered an attack on them all.
The agreement is described as the outcome of extensive diplomatic efforts to establish a framework for addressing growing security threats. It also includes provisions for expanded defence cooperation, including defence industry collaboration and military interoperability among the three countries.