Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Sign Joint Defence Pact Amid Regional Turmoil

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are set to sign a joint defence agreement on Friday, amid regional turmoil caused by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. The pact will be signed in Jeddah, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and powerful army chief Asim Munir meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The agreement follows nearly a year of negotiations, as reported by Reuters in January, when Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara favoured a broader regional security platform to promote cooperation and stability. The existing Saudi-Pakistani pact treats an attack on either country as an attack on both, encompassing 'all military means', according to a Saudi official.

The joint defence agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region, with Gulf states exposed to security vulnerabilities and disruptions in oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The pact is seen as cementing a grouping of major Sunni Muslim powers, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.