Foreign Minister Fidan will attend the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement Meeting in Riyadh

According to information obtained from Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources, Minister Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu will attend the "Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense Strategic Political and Defense Committee Meeting" to be held in Riyadh tomorrow.

At tomorrow's meeting, Fidan is expected to share Türkiye's views on the institutionalization process of the alliance and the next steps to be taken, and to make evaluations about the threats to peace and stability in the Middle East.

Fidan, who is planned to express his views on regional developments concerning the common security of the Allies, is also expected to note that the progress achieved in the alliance works in a short time is valuable for the perspective of permanent stability in the region.

Fidan is also expected to confirm Türkiye's strong solidarity and support against the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia and to underline that provocative actions against holy places are unacceptable.

Fidan, who is expected to point out the importance of the alliance in terms of preventing regional crises as well as its capacity to produce a common and effective response to current threats, is planned to state that resolving conflicts in the region through peaceful means is a priority and that actions that may further escalate tensions should be avoided.

MECCA JOINT DEFENSE AGREEMENT

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammed Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca on August 7.

The agreement, which is a reflection of the commitment of Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to develop regional solutions to regional problems and their common strategic vision focusing on regional security and stability, aims to strengthen the security of the three countries through common deterrence and defense.

STRATEGIC POLITICAL AND DEFENSE COMMITTEE

A Strategic Political and Defense Committee, consisting of the ministers of foreign affairs and defense and the chiefs of general staff, was established to direct the activities within the scope of the agreement, and the first meeting of the committee was held in Istanbul on 31 August 2026, hosted by Türkiye.

In this meeting, founding decisions were taken and technical studies for the institutionalization of the alliance were evaluated. In this regard, it was envisaged that the Secretariat of the alliance would be established in Riyadh as soon as possible. Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood from Pakistan was nominated as the first Secretary General.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia held a meeting in New York, USA, on September 24, on the margins of the High Level week of the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations. At the meeting, regional developments were discussed, and in the joint statement issued after the meeting, attacks on the holy city of Mecca and the civilian and economic infrastructure of Saudi Arabia were condemned. The chiefs of general staff of the three countries met in Riyadh on September 25.