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First committee in Istanbul
Turkey will host senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in İstanbul on Monday for the first meeting of a committee established under a new trilateral defense pact, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has announced.
“Turkey will host senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in İstanbul on Monday”
The inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee is set to bring together the three countries’ foreign and defense ministers and top military commanders in Istanbul, with Turkey represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Pakistan’s delegation is expected to include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defense Forces and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, while Saudi Arabia will be represented by its foreign and defense ministers and chief of general staff, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The pact was signed in the Saudi city on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and it includes a collective defense provision under which an attack on one signatory is considered an attack on all three.
A Turkish foreign ministry source told Reuters that the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defence clause.
Who attends, what’s on agenda
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee will be held in Istanbul on Monday, and it named Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and the Chief of Army Staff & Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as Pakistan’s representatives.
Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the Strategic Political and Defense Committee was envisaged to provide strategic direction for activities under the trilateral pact, and it said the meeting is expected to address international security issues, efforts to develop defense capabilities, and greater interoperability among the armed forces.
Reuters also said the agenda would cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their armed forces and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development.
A Turkish diplomatic sources account in Daily Sabah said the participants would discuss deepening defense industry cooperation, including joint production and research and development, and strengthening joint efforts in the fight against terrorism.
In the same Reuters account, a Turkish foreign ministry source said, "International security issues will be on the agenda," as the committee convenes in Istanbul.
Debate over direction and risk
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is framed by its backers as defensive and collective, with Reuters describing it as a pact signed by Sunni Muslim U.S. allies concerned by the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters.
“Turkey has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion”
Reuters also reported that Turkey has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion, with Egypt as a potential candidate, and did not seek to replace existing alliances.
JNS.org argued that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is a looming threat to Israel and America, saying Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed it in Mecca on Aug. 7 and forming what it called a “Muslim NATO.”
In JNS.org’s account, it quoted Donald Trump praising the deal as a “big, bold and important first step,” and it added that he was “very happy” about it and said it showed the Middle East “coming together.”
JNS.org further claimed that “These threatening statements clearly indicate that the Mecca alliance is directed at the Jewish state,” while also noting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged Islamic nations to wage war on Israel and that Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described Israel as “evil and a curse for humanity,” adding he hopes its founders “burn in hell.”