New Delhi: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are set to hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia bring their newly signed Makkah Defence Alliance into sharp focus. Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said the strategic political and defence committee under the agreement will discuss the latest situation and decide the three countries’ course of action.
The meeting comes as the three countries are still building the alliance’s institutional structure, with retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood recently appointed its first secretary general. As RNA Media reported, Nauman has been tasked with helping establish the alliance’s secretariat in Saudi Arabia, making the upcoming Riyadh meeting the first major test of the defence framework since his appointment.
Houthi attacks put pact in spotlight
The Makkah Defence Alliance, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in August, states that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all. The upcoming Riyadh meeting will therefore bring attention to how the three countries intend to coordinate under that commitment as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue.
The three countries have already stepped up defence coordination. Their military chiefs met in Riyadh last week to discuss intelligence sharing, coordination and ways to strengthen collective defence, although no joint military operation against the Houthis has been publicly announced.
What will happen in Riyadh?
Dar said the three countries will decide their course of action during the meeting and that the outcome will be shared publicly once the meeting is finalized. He made the remarks during a media briefing on Pakistan’s diplomatic engagements during the 81st session of the United Nations general assembly, where he also discussed regional developments involving Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan and Turkiye have condemned attacks against Saudi Arabia and backed the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity. Pakistan has also said that political engagement with the Houthis is among the issues being considered as the region faces renewed escalation.
The alliance is still in the process of becoming operational, with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye working on its secretariat, committees and other coordination mechanisms. The three foreign ministers had earlier reviewed this institutional progress and discussed ways to assist Saudi Arabia under the agreement.
They also condemned attacks targeting Mecca and Saudi civilian and economic facilities. With the emergency meeting now scheduled for Riyadh, attention is turning to what the three countries will decide as they work to give their new defence framework a more concrete shape.