Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have expressed a shared determination to “immediately translate” their commitments under the Makkah Defence Alliance into effective military cooperation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of the kingdom being dragged into fresh fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, with the former declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and targeting its ships in the Red Sea. In recent weeks, Houthis have also carried out attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) had shared that the three countries were mulling a military chiefs’ meeting to consider ways to assist Riyadh under the Makkah pact.

The commitment was made at a meeting of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and the chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, held in Riyadh on Friday.

According to the ISPR, the participants discussed ways to advance cooperation among their armed forces, including enhanced intelligence sharing, military coordination and integration of capabilities.

The measures, it said, would help strengthen deterrence and collective defence.

The military chiefs also reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia, and strongly “resented” attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah as well as civilian and economic infrastructure.

They appreciated the vigilance and professionalism of the Saudi armed forces in ensuring the safety of the people and security of the Kingdom, according to the ISPR.

The participants also commended the longstanding relations and mutual trust between the three countries and their armed forces.

The ISPR said the Riyadh meeting reflected the strength of the defence partnership among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye and their shared determination to implement the commitments made under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

The participants further affirmed their commitment to collective defence, demonstrating, according to the ISPR, the resolve of the three countries to defend the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.

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