Top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to meet in Istanbul

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters. Published On 30 Aug 202630 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Top authorities from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for their first gathering since signing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement earlier this month.
• In an August interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remarked Egypt could potentially join the pact.
• Turkiye possesses the second-largest military in NATO, Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country, and Saudi Arabia is the world's leading oil exporter.
• As well as discussions on improving military cooperation and capabilities, turkish Foreign Ministry sources, quoted by Reuters news agency, remarked the agenda will cover international security matters.
• Turkish authorities stated on Sunday that the session will be attended by foreign ministers, defence ministers, and chiefs of staff from the three nations.

According to AFP, the Istanbul session will formally establish a "political and defence strategic committee" comprised of such national representatives.

Meanwhile, the Mecca agreement forms a collective security pact similar to NATO, under which an attack on one member could be considered an attack on all. The alliance was established after the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Bangladesh has additionally stated it is actively considering joining the agreement. The potential expansion is being closely monitored by India, whose Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, remarked to journalists that New Delhi would take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security.

Taken together, the developments around top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to meet in Istanbul point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.