Turkish foreign minister to attend Mecca Defense Agreement meeting in Riyadh
18:20, 04/10/2026, SundayU: Update: 18:43, 04/10/2026, Sunday
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Riyadh on Monday to attend a high-level committee meeting under the trilateral Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, where he is expected to outline Ankara's vision for institutionalizing the alliance and addressing regional security threats alongside his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Riyadh on Monday alongside Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu to attend a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a trilateral alliance founded in August by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Alliance Institutionalization
At the Saudi capital, the delegation is expected to outline Ankara's vision for institutionalizing the alliance framework and advancing collective defense mechanisms alongside their Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. Fidan will reaffirm Türkiye's strong solidarity with the Kingdom following recent Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, stressing that provocative actions targeting holy sites remain unacceptable under any circumstances.
The foreign minister is also set to highlight the pact's importance in developing joint responses to existing threats while preventing future crises in the Middle East. Fidan will underscore that resolving disputes through peaceful means remains a priority for the three nations, drawing attention to what Ankara describes as Israel's continued destabilizing actions and reiterating the need to ensure freedom of navigation along international trade routes.
Trilateral Defense Pact
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, establishing a framework for collective deterrence. The alliance held its first committee meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where officials reviewed plans to establish a permanent secretariat in Riyadh and nominated retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood as the inaugural secretary-general. The foreign ministers previously convened in New York on September 24, issuing a joint statement condemning attacks on holy sites, while military chiefs met in Riyadh the following day to advance technical cooperation ahead of Monday's session.