Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan held talks between their senior military commanders in Riyadh on September 25 as the three countries moved to strengthen coordination under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Türkiye’s Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu met Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Saudi Arabia’s Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Senior military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan held trilateral talks.
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Authority/Organisation: Makkah Joint Defence Agreement framework.
Action Taken: Defence chiefs discussed support for Saudi Arabia and trilateral security coordination.
Impact: The meeting strengthens military coordination under the newly established defence pact amid Yemen-related attacks.
The meeting came amid renewed attacks from Yemen targeting Saudi Arabia. The three countries had discussed arrangements for the meeting during a foreign ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The talks were held under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7. The agreement states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack against all three, while also calling for stronger defence cooperation.
The latest military-level meeting does not by itself indicate that Türkiye or Pakistan have decided to enter the Yemen conflict. The publicly reported discussions focused on support for Saudi Arabia and implementation of the joint defence framework.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The meeting is significant because the Makkah agreement contains a collective-defence provision under which an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all three. The latest talks therefore provide an early test of how the newly created security framework will operate during an active regional crisis. The meeting itself does not establish the nature or extent of any military assistance from Türkiye or Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia has reported attacks from Yemen in recent days, including missile launches that its air defences said were intercepted. The developments have added pressure on the newly established trilateral security arrangement.
