Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to sign a joint defence agreement in Jeddah on Friday, August 7, strengthening security cooperation among the three as the Iran war heightens tensions across the region.
Sources told Reuters that the pact would be signed during a meeting between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is also expected to attend.
The terms of the agreement and the commitments, however, expected from each country remains unclear.
The pact follows nearly a year of negotiations and comes as Gulf states face growing security threats following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The conflict has also disrupted the movement of oil and other goods through the Strait of Hormuz.
The agreement brings together NATO member Turkey, Saudi Arabia — a major US ally and one of the world’s largest oil exporters — and Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan already have a mutual defence agreement under which an attack on either country is considered an attack on both. The arrangement covers “all military means”, Reuters reported.
These developments have emerged as US President Donald Trump said that the five-month-old war would end soon.