Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the Mecca Joint Defense Pact signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is entirely defensive and not aimed at any country. The agreement was signed in Mecca on Friday, and Dar outlined Pakistan’s position in a statement posted on X.

Dar said the pact’s sole purpose is to strengthen ongoing joint efforts for peace, stability and prosperity across the wider region. Under the agreement, an attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three. The same provision applies if any member faces an external armed attack.

He said the arrangement is consistent with the right to individual and collective self-defense recognized under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Dar added that regional countries may join if they accept the pact’s basic principles and seek mutual respect, cooperation and peaceful resolution of differences. He also said the pact will not cancel, replace or affect existing bilateral or multilateral agreements among the three states, or their agreements with other countries and international organizations.