The three nations held their first conference under their joint defense agreement and decided to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia to manage the accord, according to reports. The secretariat will be headed by a Pakistani secretary-general for the first three years.
Tonight, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan held the first formal conference under their joint defense agreement and decided to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia to manage the accord. The secretariat will be headed by a Pakistani secretary-general for the first three years, according to reports. The move represents the first institutional structure since the tripartite "Mecca Agreement" was signed on August 7.
The decision capped a day of high-level diplomatic activity. As The Zioneer reported earlier this evening at 19:59 Jerusalem time, the three nations held an expanded meeting in Istanbul. Earlier on Sunday, the signatories issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen mutual deterrence and collective defense, and Pakistan indicated that up to seven additional Muslim-majority countries had expressed interest in joining the alliance.
The Mecca Agreement brings together Turkey (NATO's second-largest military), Saudi Arabia (the Gulf's leading economic power), and Pakistan (the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state). The pact includes a mutual defense clause, as The Zioneer reported on August 7, following the signing ceremony in Mecca where leaders held a joint prayer. The establishment of a secretariat was listed as a goal in initial reports of the agreement.
It remains unclear who has been appointed as the Pakistani secretary-general or when the secretariat will commence operations. No official statement from the three governments has been released confirming the institutional details.
7 developments
- StrongTurkish Vice President: Saudi Arabia to Provide Financial Support for Joint Defense
- DevelopingPakistan's FM: Defense pact with Turkey, Saudi Arabia purely defensive, not aimed at any country
- StrongSaudi, Pakistani, Turkish leaders hold joint prayer after signing Mecca tripartite defense pact
- DevelopingPakistan defense minister declines to say whether Saudi Arabia, Turkey would join war against India under defense pact
Source and signal
- Open-source intake