Pakistan says Mecca pact defense committee to meet in Riyadh soon

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday that the Strategic Political Defense Committee (SPDC) established under the trilateral defense pact with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will convene "soon" in the Saudi capital. "Very soon, a meeting of the whole SPDC ... has been agreed to in principle, to take place in Riyadh," Dar said, adding that the gathering would occur "next week" according to the daily Dawn. The committee comprises three senior members from each signatory state — the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of General Staff.

Regional tensions

The announcement comes amid ongoing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, with Dar noting that he had discussed the conflict with Iranian officials during his visit to New York last week. Tehran suggested in "good faith" that the Yemen-based group should be engaged politically, he said. "Both the Iranian president and foreign minister wish for the Houthi-Saudi conflict to conclude," Dar stated, noting that he had "sensitized" the Iranian side regarding the trilateral pact signed in August. Tehran "disassociates themselves from both Houthis as well as Iraqi militia," he added.

Defense alliance framework

Dar revealed growing international interest in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of the signatory states will be considered an attack against all parties. "At least more than six countries are keen to join the Mecca, which is defensive in nature," he said. Any decision regarding expansion would require approval from all three current members. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the pact in August following consultations between military chiefs in Riyadh on Sept. 25 and foreign ministers in New York on Sept. 24.