Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday termed the trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a “defensive alliance” to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence and ruled out any quick expansion of the pact.
Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7. The pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.
The trilateral agreement was primarily a “defensive alliance to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence,” Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said at the weekly press briefing.
His remarks came two days after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that an unprovoked aggression against any member state, or a spillover of the Yemen conflict into Saudi Arabia, could activate the collective-defence provisions of the agreement.
The minister’s warning came after Yemen’s Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, targeting cities and economic and energy infrastructure and injuring at least 73 civilians.
When asked about the expansion of the alliance, the Foreign Office spokesperson said it was currently “not on the cards”.
“At this stage, there are no discussions regarding the expansion of the Makkah agreement,” he said.
“Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye must first further consolidate their organisation and cooperation,” he added.
The agreement will be “open to all countries that share similar stances and perspectives,” Khan said.
He said that currently the three member states were holding consultations at various levels under the framework and will make a decision about the expansion at a later stage.
“Significant work lies ahead to finalise the organisation’s structure, mechanisms, and procedures,” he said.
Last week, his predecessor Tahir Andrabi had said that the defence pact was open to new members.
During a meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia in the Turkish city of Istanbul last month, it was decided to set up a secretariat in Saudi Arabia and to appoint a secretary general from Pakistan.
