What is the Treaty of Mecca? Which countries are in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement?

The Treaty of Mecca attracts attention as one of the most popular events of recent times. So, what is the Treaty of Mecca? Which countries are in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement?

WHAT IS THE MECCA TREATY?

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is a security and defense pact signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on August 7, 2026. Under this treaty, state parties have undertaken to consider any act of aggression against one of them as an act against each of the parties to the treaty.

The defense agreement was first signed on September 17, 2025, at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh, by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, during Sharif's state visit to Saudi Arabia. The pact was expanded with the Mecca Defense Agreement, which was signed in Mecca on August 7, 2026, with the participation of Saudi crown prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

CAN THE MECCA TREATY BE EXPANDED?

Following the signing of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement by the three founding members, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, on August 7, 2026, the potential for the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to transform into a broader regional security architecture and a multinational pact came to the fore. In the period after the signing, scenarios regarding the expansion of the agreement were widely covered in the international press and diplomatic circles.

According to a report published by the Qatar-funded Middle East Eye, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey held talks on the margins of the Riyadh Arab and Islamic Countries Summit held in March 2026. The news stated that Türkiye wants to include Egypt in a quadripartite defense agreement, but this initiative has not been realized yet.

In August 2026, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Humayun Kabir stated that his country, in line with its "Bangladesh First" policy and national interests, maintains a positive approach to participating in a possible economic or defense framework that could include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. He also stated that Prime Minister Tariq Rahman's visit to Riyadh is expected to be finalized soon and that Dhaka is strengthening its bilateral relations with Pakistan in the fields of trade and people-to-people connections.

Qatar, which has advanced military cooperation agreements with Türkiye, is frequently mentioned as a potential invitee to strengthen the financial infrastructure of the agreement and provide strategic depth in the Gulf. The operational Tariq bin Ziyad Military Base has the potential to become the agreement's first physical operations center in the Gulf, making Qatar's membership strategically important.