Pakistan's Foreign Minister: Mecca Defense Pact Targets No Country, Open to All Regional States

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement on Sunday, 18 Mordad 1405 (August 9, 2026), that the trilateral "Mecca Joint Defense Pact" signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye targets no country and remains open to any regional state willing to commit to its principles. According to Shafaqna, citing Al Nashra, Dar said the pact reflects the depth of strategic ties among the three countries after years of negotiation, and does not cancel or replace any of their existing bilateral or multilateral agreements.

Dar added that under the pact, any external armed attack on one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three, a principle he said is consistent with Article 51 of the UN Charter on individual and collective self-defense. The pact, signed in Mecca last week on 16 Mordad, was concluded amid the US Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and Turkish officials had previously told Al Jazeera the agreement is not aimed at Iran.