Dar, Saudi FM Discuss Makkah Defence Alliance Follow-Up

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan have discussed follow-up measures connected to the Makkah Defence Alliance, continuing diplomatic coordination after the grouping's first committee meeting. Pakistan's Foreign Office said the two ministers spoke by telephone on Sunday and reviewed understandings reached under the emerging defence framework.

According to the Foreign Office, Dar and Prince Faisal discussed implementation of decisions and understandings associated with the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Defence Agreement. That committee met in Istanbul on August 31, bringing together representatives of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to advance cooperation under the pact.

The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments and discussed matters of mutual interest at multilateral forums. The Foreign Office said both sides agreed to remain in close contact, signalling that consultations between Islamabad and Riyadh will continue as the three-country framework moves from its initial political commitments toward further coordination.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the joint defence agreement in Makkah on August 7. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement at Al-Safa Palace. A central feature of the arrangement is the commitment that an armed attack against one member will be treated as an attack against all three.

The Istanbul meeting on August 31 was the first committee-level engagement following the signing of the agreement. Pakistan was represented in the process through its foreign minister, alongside his Saudi and Turkish counterparts. The latest telephone conversation indicates that officials are continuing work on the understandings reached during that meeting rather than leaving the alliance at the level of a ceremonial declaration.

Pakistan has previously said that the defence arrangement is open to other regional countries willing to accept its core principles. Any future expansion would increase the political and strategic importance of the framework, although the Foreign Office's latest statement focused specifically on follow-up between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and did not announce the addition of any new member.

For Pakistan, the alliance represents a significant element of its developing security and diplomatic relationship with two major partners in the Muslim world. The next stage will centre on continued consultations and implementation of the understandings already reached by the three governments, with further meetings or announcements likely to clarify how the political and defence coordination envisaged by the agreement will operate in practice.