Turkish Trio Meets in Istanbul Under New Defence Pact

Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are gathering in Istanbul on Monday for a meeting under their newly signed joint defence accord.

The 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement' was signed on August 7 by the three Sunni Muslim countries, which are concerned about the Iran war and regional conflict that has led to Iranian missile fire on Gulf oil exporters.

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all.

Foreign and defence ministers, as well as the chiefs of staff, will attend the meeting in Istanbul, where international security issues will be discussed, including enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their armed forces, and deepening cooperation in the defence industry.