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The announcement was made by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, during the weekly press briefing in Ankara on Thursday. According to the ministry, the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement inked on August 7 in Saudi Arabia seeks to boost the joint military capabilities of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Aktürk stated that the pact is defensive in nature and does not single out any country as an adversary.
The ministry’s briefing outlined a phased approach to military cooperation that begins with command-post and field exercises. It will later expand to encompass land, sea and air operations along with air defense and unmanned systems. Such activities are designed to pinpoint needs, apply lessons from training and strengthen overall readiness for potential joint actions.
Strategic coordination mechanisms will be created under the agreement, the spokesperson explained. These will bring together the defense ministers, foreign ministers and military chiefs of the three nations to ensure high-level alignment on security matters. The Turkish Ministry of National Defense indicated that the pact aims to contribute to regional peace and stability while enhancing the partners’ ability to operate together in times of crisis.
Defense industry collaboration forms another pillar of the Makkah pact, according to Aktürk. The cooperation will cover not only procurement but also joint production, technology sharing and sustained maintenance support in areas such as unmanned vehicles, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence. A ministry assessment found these efforts will help build long-term institutional ties among the three countries.
The defense ministry stressed that the new agreement does not rival or replace NATO but serves to supplement the existing global security framework. Aktürk highlighted that the pact establishes an effective structure for peacetime collaboration that can deliver concrete military assistance if required. The spokesperson added that the three nations already maintain close fraternal relations which the agreement now places on a more formal foundation.
“We believe that this cooperation will contribute significantly to the security of our countries and to strengthening regional peace, stability, and deterrence,” Aktürk said. The briefing also touched on the Turkish Armed Forces’ ongoing contributions to peace through various missions. Plans for Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to hold their own joint exercises were additionally referenced in the context of broader regional defense ties.
