Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan have signed a landmark joint defence agreement committing the three countries to strengthen collective security and treat an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all three.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed in Makkah on Friday by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following a summit focused specifically on joint defence, a statement said.

The agreement represents a major expansion of defence cooperation among the three countries and comes as the Middle East faces heightened security tensions and growing concerns over the potential widening of regional conflicts.

According to the statement issued following the summit, the agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and enhance defence cooperation across a broad range of areas.

"The Agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression," the statement said, adding that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.

The agreement was reached during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, hosted by Saudi Arabia at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah.

The summit was held at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and brought together Erdoğan and Shehbaz Sharif, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receiving the two leaders.

The three leaders reviewed relations between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan as well as issues of mutual interest, with the discussions centred on strengthening security and defence cooperation.

The agreement invokes the longstanding historical, political and cultural ties between the three countries, as well as their shared strategic interests and existing defence cooperation.

The leaders said their objective was to further strengthen their collective security while promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.

A significant expansion of Saudi-Pakistan defence ties

The new trilateral pact builds on an already deep Saudi-Pakistani security relationship. Riyadh and Islamabad signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025, under which aggression against one country was to be treated as aggression against the other. Pakistan has also maintained a longstanding military presence and defence cooperation arrangements with Saudi Arabia.

The latest agreement brings Türkiye into that collective framework, potentially giving the arrangement a broader strategic and military dimension.

The development is particularly significant against the backdrop of the current regional crisis. Pakistan has already deployed military personnel and fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia under its existing defence cooperation agreement, while Islamabad has repeatedly expressed support for the kingdom's security.

The three countries have also maintained close political and military relationships, although their strategic priorities and relationships with other regional and global powers have not always been identical.

'Attack on one, attack on all'

The central provision of the new agreement effectively establishes a trilateral mutual-defence commitment.

Under the agreement, an armed attack on Saudi Arabia, Türkiye or Pakistan would be considered an attack against all three, potentially requiring the other two countries to respond within the framework of their collective defence arrangements.

The document does not spell out specific military responses or establish a NATO-style command structure. Instead, it calls for the enhancement of "all aspects of defence cooperation" among the three states.

The leaders said the agreement reflected their commitment to a secure and prosperous future and to strengthening deterrence while promoting regional peace and stability.

The timing is likely to attract particular attention: the agreement comes as Saudi Arabia has been increasingly concerned about threats to its territory and critical infrastructure, while Pakistan has sought to position itself as both a security partner of Riyadh and a diplomatic interlocutor in the wider regional crisis.