Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Chiefs of Staff Meet in Riyadh to Activate Mecca Defense Pact

Chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan met in Riyadh on Friday to activate military cooperation under the Mecca joint defense agreement.

• The three chiefs of staff convened in Riyadh within the framework of the Mecca joint defense agreement signed last August.
• The chiefs condemned attacks on Mecca and civilian infrastructure and pledged immediate translation of the agreement's commitments into effective military cooperation.
• President Erdogan said the pact, based on Article 51 of the UN Charter, is not directed against Iran, Israel, or any third state.
• Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles, while the Houthis claimed drone and missile attacks on Saudi sites.
• Erdogan said the pact permits military, intelligence, logistical, or ammunition support scaled to the attacked country's needs.
• Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus predicted the pact could expand into a broader Islamic world pact including Iran.
• Kurtulmus added that parliamentary ratification of the Mecca agreement could begin next month.