Defense Chiefs and Chiefs of General Staff from the member states of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Republic of Türkiye, met in Riyadh Friday.

They reviewed the security situation and the threats facing Saudi Arabia, and strongly condemned the attacks on Makkah and on the Kingdom’s civil and economic infrastructure.

They commended the vigilance and professionalism of the Saudi Armed Forces in safeguarding citizens, residents, and the security of the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The participants discussed ways to advance cooperation among the three countries' armed forces and to develop intelligence cooperation, military coordination, and capability integration to strengthen deterrence and collective defense.

They praised the long-standing relations and mutual trust between the peoples and armed forces of the three countries, and said the meeting reflected the strength of their defense partnership and their determination to begin translating the commitments in the agreement into effective military cooperation immediately.

They further reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense and the determination of the three countries to defend Saudi Arabia's security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The meeting followed discussions among the Foreign Ministers of the three countries in New York, where they also condemned attacks targeting Makkah and Saudi civilian and economic facilities.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7, committing to strengthen collective security, defence cooperation and regional stability.

Meantime, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, met Saturday in Riyadh with Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces.

During the meeting, the two sides commended the outcomes of the meeting of the chiefs of staff of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement states and discussed the attacks targeting Makkah and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom.

They also stressed the continuation of joint efforts to confront the attacks under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. (SPA; Photo © Saudi Ministry of Defense/SPA)