Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026, pledging collective defence and the strengthening of deterrence against acts of aggression. The accord includes a provision — comparable to NATO's Article 5 — stipulating that an armed attack on any one signatory shall be regarded as an attack on all three. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were present at the signing in Mecca, according to Al Jazeera.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan formalise mutual defence pact with collective security clause
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026, pledging collective defence and the strengthening of deterrence against acts of aggression. The accord includes a provision — comparable to NATO's Article 5 — stipulating that an armed attack on any one signatory shall be regarded as an attack on all three. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were present at the signing in Mecca, according to Al Jazeera.
Türkiye's defence ministry, at a weekly briefing in Ankara on Thursday, described the pact's fundamental goal as placing defence and military ties on a 'more institutional and sustainable' footing, according to ABC News Australia.
Under the agreement, strategic political and military mechanisms are planned involving defence ministers, foreign ministers, and chiefs of general staff or armed forces commanders, with coordination to be conducted at the highest level, Türkiye's defence ministry said.
Joint military exercises involving land, naval and air forces — as well as air defence and unmanned systems — are planned, alongside deeper defence industry cooperation. Türkiye's defence ministry said priorities would include joint development and production, technology cooperation, sustainable maintenance and logistics support, and capabilities in unmanned and autonomous systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence.
The three countries together constitute a substantial combined force. According to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, as cited by Al Jazeera, they field approximately 1.4 million active military personnel, around 3,400 to 3,415 military aircraft, some 6,000 to 6,046 tanks, and more than 340 naval assets, including 33 frigates, 24 corvettes and 22 submarines.
On manpower, Pakistan provides the largest pool of active personnel at 660,000, followed by Türkiye at 481,000 and Saudi Arabia at 247,000, according to Al Jazeera. On naval assets, Türkiye leads with 192, followed by Pakistan with 120 and Saudi Arabia with 32.
Their combined annual defence budgets amount to approximately $124.4bn, according to Global Firepower figures cited by Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia has the largest military budget of the three at $63.9bn in 2026, while Türkiye allocated $51.4bn and Pakistan $9.1bn.
Both sources note that Türkiye holds NATO's second-largest army, Saudi Arabia is a top oil exporter, and Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country.
Türkiye has indicated the pact is open to expansion, with Egypt named as a potential candidate, and has stated the agreement does not seek to replace any existing alliances, according to ABC News Australia.
Al Jazeera reports the agreement comes as the three countries navigate growing regional tensions, citing concerns over Israel's expanding military reach and Iran's regional influence. ABC News Australia describes the three as US allies alarmed by a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters.
According to ABC News Australia, Türkiye is also participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping.
Where sources differ
- The approximate total number of military aircraft differs slightly between sources: ABC News Australia reports approximately 3,400, while Al Jazeera cites 3,415 based on the 2026 Global Firepower Index.
- ABC News Australia frames the regional context primarily around Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters; Al Jazeera frames it more broadly around both Iran's regional influence and Israel's expanding military reach.
- No official responses or stated positions from Iran, Israel, the United States, NATO leadership, or Egypt are included in either source.
- The full text of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement has not been reproduced or summarised in detail in either source.
- It is not established whether Egypt has been formally invited to join or has expressed interest in joining the pact.
- The specific nature or timeline of the regional 'conflagration' involving Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters is not elaborated upon in either source.
- The identity and outcome of the Jeddah meetings on Red Sea shipping protection are not described beyond a brief mention.
- Andreas Krieg's full assessment of each country's contribution to the pact was not completely reproduced in the Al Jazeera source text as supplied.
- ABC News Australia — original
- Al Jazeera English — by Alia Chughtai
Read the original at ABC News Australia