Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a joint prayer ceremony in Mecca following the signing of the tripartite defense agreement, the 'Mecca Agreement,' according to Abu Ali Express. The pact includes a mutual defense clause and brings together NATO's second-largest military, the Gulf's leading economic power, and the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state.
Following the signing of the tripartite defense agreement – the 'Mecca Agreement' – earlier Friday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a joint prayer ceremony in Mecca, according to a report from Abu Ali Express. The prayer ceremony marks the public culmination of the day's events, after the three leaders formalized a mutual defense pact that brings together NATO's second-largest military, the Gulf's leading economic power, and the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state.
The Zioneer reported at 13:08 Jerusalem that the leaders met in Mecca ahead of the signing. By 14:11 Jerusalem, multiple sources including Abu Ali Express, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, and a Turkish official confirmed the signing of the pact, which includes a clause stating that an armed attack on any one party is considered an attack on all three. Video footage of the signing ceremony was also released. The prayer ceremony, reported by Abu Ali Express, has not been independently verified.
The Mecca Agreement represents a significant realignment of Middle Eastern security architecture, as The Zioneer has reported. The development comes amid ongoing regional mediation efforts, including the Islamabad Agreement between the United States and Iran, in which Pakistan played a central role. Saudi Arabia has also been involved in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, as reported previously.
The prayer ceremony footage has not been independently corroborated by other sources, and no further details on the content of the prayer or any statements made during the ceremony have been released. The pact remains open for additional members to join, but no specific countries have been named.
5 developments
- StrongAFP: Saudi, Turkish, Pakistani leaders to hold Jeddah summit Friday, citing government source
- DevelopingSaudi Arabia confirms bin Salman, Trump push for Middle East calm, warn against wider war
- StrongReuters: Saudi Crown Prince, Iraqi PM cancel Jeddah meeting after Iraq strikes, Saudi launches
- DevelopingSaudi crown prince urged Trump to halt strike on Iran, i24NEWS reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake