US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was pleased by the recent signing of a defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. He expressed his views in a post on Truth Social.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on August 7.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that the pact is aimed at strengthening cooperation in the defence sector.The pact is intended to strengthen collective deterrence. The agreement declared a shared commitment to further strengthening the collective security and promoting peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond. Trump called the agreement “big, bold and an important first step”.
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Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way. Congratulations… pic.twitter.com/CrBARNWQfa
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 16, 2026
The agreement between the three countries comes amid a conflict between the US and Iran that has extended across the region, including Houthi attacks. Turkey’s Defence Ministry said last week that Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would form political and military mechanisms under the pact, adding that the alliance would also deepen defence industry cooperation.
Both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar have emphasized that the pact is defensive in nature, with the latter saying that it is also open to any country in the region willing to uphold its fundamental principles.
Shortly after the agreement was signed, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey expects Egypt to join the pact in the next stage. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the pact is not restricted to the three countries and is open to other countries in the region. Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Somalia have welcomed the pact.
The pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey is an extension of the defence pact signed between Islamabad and Riyadh in 2025.
The central provision of the defence pact is the collective defence commitment, under which an attack against any of the three member states will be considered an attack against them all.
The pact is meant to bring together Saudi Arabia’s financial wealth, Turkey’s advanced defence industry and Pakistan’s military capabilities.
High-level coordination will be maintained between their respective defence ministers, foreign ministers and chiefs of general staff. Plans are also underway for joint military exercises. Coordination will also extend to air defence, unmanned aerial systems, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and autonomous systems.
