Turkey, Saudi Arabia, And Pakistan Will Form A New Military Alliance In The Middle East
- 7.08.2026, 16:06
The countries signed a mutual defense agreement in Mecca.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca on August 7, according to Euronews. According to a joint statement, an attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an act of aggression against all signatories to the agreement. The signing ceremony was attended by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to Reuters, the parties had been negotiating the agreement for about a year.
The agreement aims to strengthen collective defense, deter potential aggression, and enhance regional security. A Turkish official told Reuters that the treaty is defensive in nature and is not directed against any specific country. According to the spokesperson, the document is open to other countries joining. The mechanism for providing military assistance and the specific scope of the participants’ obligations have not yet been disclosed.
The signing of the treaty took place against the backdrop of a sharp escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has led to severe restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world’s oil and gas supplies previously passed. For Saudi Arabia, the issue of security is of particular importance due to Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the kingdom’s territory.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have a combined total of 1.2 million military personnel. They are armed with about 4,000 tanks and more than 700 combat aircraft. The three countries’ combined defense spending totals $125 billion per year. In terms of troop strength, the combined forces of these three countries are comparable to India’s, and in terms of military spending, they rival the world’s largest military powers.
The three signatories to the agreement already have close ties in the defense sector. In September 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a bilateral mutual defense treaty. Ankara supplied Islamabad with four Ada-class corvettes and modernized Pakistan’s submarines and JF-17 fighter jets. Riyadh has purchased Turkish Bayraktar Akıncı attack drones.
This new partnership brings together three countries with varying military capabilities. According to Mansur Ahmed of the Australian National University, Turkey and Pakistan can contribute advanced defense technologies and manufacturing capabilities to the partnership, while Saudi Arabia is capable of providing investment. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi Gulf Research Center, believes the agreement will strengthen the three countries’ influence on the regional security architecture.