ANKARA(RAHNUMA): Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will form political and military mechanisms under a defense pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkiye’s defense ministry said on Thursday, adding the alliance would also deepen defense industry cooperation.
The three countries signed the “Makkah Joint Defense Agreement” on Aug. 7, wedding Sunni Muslim US allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters. They said the accord stipulates that an armed attack against any member would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause.
At a weekly briefing in Ankara, the ministry said the mechanisms would include the three countries’ defense ministers, foreign ministers, and military chiefs. It added that the joint military exercises were also being planned under the pact, while cooperation could include joint production and technology sharing in the defense industry.
“The aim is to provide not only product and system supply, but also joint development and production, technology cooperation, and sustainable maintenance and logistics support,” it said, adding that unmanned and autonomous systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities would be prioritized.
