Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan plan to establish joint ministerial mechanisms, conduct combined military exercises and deepen defence industry cooperation under a trilateral pact signed on August 7, Turkiye's defence ministry said at a weekly briefing in Ankara on Thursday.
Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan outline joint exercises and defence industry plans under Mecca pact
Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan plan to establish joint ministerial mechanisms, conduct combined military exercises and deepen defence industry cooperation under a trilateral pact signed on August 7, Turkiye's defence ministry said at a weekly briefing in Ankara on Thursday.
The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. The accord stipulates that an armed attack against any member would be regarded as an attack on all, a provision comparable to NATO's Article 5 collective defence clause.
The Turkish defence ministry said the pact's fundamental goal was to place defence and military ties on a 'more institutional and sustainable' footing. Strategic political and military mechanisms are planned to involve Defence Ministers, Foreign Ministers, and Chiefs of General Staff/Armed Forces Commanders, with coordination conducted 'at the highest level,' the ministry said.
Joint military exercises involving land, naval and air forces, as well as air defence and unmanned systems, are planned under the agreement. On the defence industry side, the ministry said priorities would include unmanned and autonomous systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities, with the aim of providing 'not only product and system supply, but also joint development and production, technology cooperation, and sustainable maintenance and logistics support.'
Turkiye, which has NATO's second-largest army, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is open to expansion, naming Egypt as a potential candidate, and does not seek to replace any existing alliances.
The ministry also said Turkiye was participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping.
- The source does not state the positions or responses of Saudi Arabia or Pakistan regarding the pact's implementation details.
- The source does not state whether Egypt has been formally invited to join the agreement or has expressed interest.
- The source does not provide a timeline for when the joint ministerial mechanisms or military exercises will be established or conducted.
- The source does not state the positions of Israel or the United States on the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
- The source does not describe the content of the 15-point Gaza Plan beyond attributing it to the United States.
- The source does not state what stage the Jeddah meetings on Red Sea shipping protection have reached or which other countries are participating.
Read the original at Al Jazeera English