Islamabad’s Blue Area lit up with a fireworks display as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye celebrated the signing of a new trilateral defence agreement in Makkah.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, 2026, brings the three countries closer in defence and security cooperation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the agreement during their meeting in Makkah.
One of the key provisions of the agreement is that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three. The pact is described by Pakistan and Türkiye as defensive in nature and is aimed at strengthening mutual security and defence cooperation rather than targeting any particular country.
The agreement builds on the long-standing defence relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The two countries signed their own Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025, which similarly stated that aggression against either country would be considered aggression against both.
The Islamabad fireworks display marked the latest development in the growing strategic partnership among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The three countries have said the new arrangement is intended to strengthen regional security, coordination and collective defence capabilities.
