Saudi, Pakistani, Turkish ministers discuss urgent defense meeting
07:48, 25/09/2026, FridayU: Update: 08:00, 25/09/2026, Friday
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The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye held consultations in New York on Friday to arrange an urgent meeting of military chiefs tasked with examining support mechanisms for Riyadh under the Mecca defense pact, following recent attacks on the Kingdom's critical infrastructure.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Pakistani and Turkish counterparts Ishaq Dar and Hakan Fidan convened at the Kingdom's UN mission in New York on Friday to review preparations for an urgent meeting of the three countries' chiefs of staff. The proposed military gathering will examine specific mechanisms for supporting Riyadh under the Mecca defense agreement, according to the Saudi Gazette. The ministers discussed ongoing arrangements for the high-level defense meeting, which comes amid heightened regional tensions.
The Mecca defense pact stipulates that an attack against any one of its signatories constitutes an attack against all parties. During the New York consultations, the ministers "strongly condemned" attacks attempting to target Mecca as well as civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Gazette reported. The trilateral framework — signed by the three Muslim-majority nations — commits members to collective defense and mutual assistance in times of aggression.
Regional Stability
The diplomats also reviewed the latest regional developments and stressed the importance of upholding international law, maintaining good-neighborly relations, and respecting state sovereignty while avoiding interference in internal affairs. They underlined the importance of ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation in regional waters, a priority for Gulf security. The discussions reflected growing concerns about threats to critical infrastructure and shipping lanes.
The ministers renewed their commitment to working toward sustainable peace and stability in the region, supporting efforts to de-escalate tensions and advancing peaceful solutions to ongoing crises. The urgent chiefs of staff meeting is expected to convene in the coming weeks to formalize defense coordination mechanisms under the pact. The trilateral cooperation framework represents a significant security alignment between the Gulf, South Asian and Turkish defense establishments.