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Jeddah Defense Pact
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to sign a joint defense agreement in Jeddah on Friday, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif scheduled to attend.
“Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad will sign on Friday in Jeddah a joint defense agreement”
France 24 reported that two sources close to the Saudi army and government said the signing will take place in Jeddah in the presence of Mohammed bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Shahbaz Sharif, and that discussions have been ongoing for some time but recent regional developments accelerated the pace.
Euronews similarly said the three countries will meet this Friday in Jeddah to sign a joint Defense agreement aimed at strengthening regional security after the latest escalation between the United States and Iran.
The trilateral summit is described as being tied to the war between the United States and Iran, which has dragged Gulf states into its orbit and disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, according to Euronews.
Al Jazeera Net also framed the signing as a step that has been under discussion for a long time but was accelerated by recent developments in the region, citing AFP and Reuters sources close to the army and government.
Arrivals and Statements
Sharif and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a visit that lasts until Saturday, while Erdogan is due to arrive this Friday, according to the Turkish presidency as cited by Euronews.
Euronews reported that Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the visit runs from August 6 to 8, and quoted Tahir Andrabi saying, “Although it takes place in a context of growing tensions in the Gulf, the visit will have a meaning that goes beyond the immediate crisis and short-term considerations.”
Arab 48 said the trilateral summit in Jeddah would be held on Friday as tensions in the Gulf region rise, and it cited Reuters and AFP reporting that “Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will sign a joint defense agreement on Friday.”
Al Jazeera Net added that AFP quoted two sources close to the army and government saying the joint defense agreement will be signed today in Jeddah, and it included the line, "It has been under discussion for a long time, but recent developments in the region have accelerated its pace."
The same Al Jazeera Net account said Pakistani Defense Production Minister Rao Hassan Haraj stated that the trilateral draft agreement is separate from the Saudi-Pakistani bilateral agreement announced last year and that completion requires final consensus among the three countries.
What’s at Stake
The agreement is presented in the sources as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional security amid the war between the United States and Iran, with Euronews linking the initiative to disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
“Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a bilateral Defense pact in 2025”
Euronews noted that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a bilateral Defense pact in 2025, drawing attention because Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority country that possesses nuclear weapons.
Al Jazeera Net said the 2025 bilateral agreement raised questions about the possibility of including a clause on nuclear energy given that Islamabad possesses nuclear weapons, and it tied the trilateral draft to internal deliberations about completion.
Yemen Monitor said the expected agreement is not described as a sudden development, citing that in January Pakistani Defense Production Minister Reza Hayat Haraj said the three countries drafted a defense treaty after around ten months of discussions and that a copy of it had been presented to Islamabad, Riyadh, and Ankara.
In the same Yemen Monitor account, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s earlier “Mutual Defense Strategic Agreement” in Riyadh on September 17, 2025 is described as stating that any attack on either country would be considered an attack on both, with the trilateral framework expected to expand coordination beyond a Saudi-Pakistani partnership.
