• Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye seek greater defence cooperation, joint technology development
• Insist implementation of agreement will contribute to regional peace, stability
• Egyptian FM invites Dar to visit Cairo; both agree to meet on UNGA sidelines
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate phone calls with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Sunday to follow up on understandings reached at the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance last month, the Foreign Office said.
The joint defence pact was signed on Aug 7 and provides that an attack on one member state would be treated as an attack on all. Its inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul on Aug 31, where it was decided that Pakistan would initially head the alliance’s secretariat for three years.
The three countries also agreed to strengthen their defence capabilities and coordination among their armed forces through joint activities, defence industry cooperation and joint technology development and production.
They also agreed that the institutionalised implementation of the Makkah agreement would contribute to regional peace and stability.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, the Foreign Office said Mr Dar held separate calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
During his conversation with the Saudi foreign minister, the two sides discussed regional and international developments as well as matters of mutual interest at multilateral forums.
“They also discussed follow-up on the understandings reached at the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Defence Alliance, held in Istanbul, and agreed to remain in close contact,” the Foreign Office said.
In a separate post, the Foreign Office said Mr Dar thanked Mr Fidan for hosting the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul.
The two ministers reviewed progress on understandings reached at the meeting and discussed ways to further advance cooperation under the framework.
“The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments. They also discussed matters of mutual interest and opportunities to further strengthen cooperation at multilateral fora,” the Foreign Office added.
The tripartite agreement was signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a summit at Al-Safa Palace.
Pakistan has said the pact is “open to any country in the region” willing to uphold its fundamental principles. Turkiye has indicated the possibility of Egypt joining the arrangement, though there has been no confirmation from Cairo.
Abdelatty invites Dar
Earlier in the day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty invited Mr Dar to visit Egypt, the Foreign Office said.
According to an FO statement, the two held a telephone call in which they exchanged views on Pakistan-Egypt bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.
Mr Abdelatty invited Mr Dar to “hold a bilateral visit to Egypt at his earliest convenience”, the statement said.
The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to remaining engaged on regional security matters and agreed to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month.
Mr Abdelatty had undertaken a two-day official visit to Pakistan last November at Mr Dar’s invitation.
During the visit, he met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where they discussed defence and security cooperation, military exchanges, training collaboration and regional peace and stability, according to the Foreign Office. Mr Abdelatty also met President Asif Ali Zardari.
Pakistan and Egypt are also members of a quadrilateral regional alliance known as the R-4 Group (Regional Four), an arrangement which also includes Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. The R-4 group has been focused on regional security and emerged in March amid mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.
Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2026
