Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan to travel to Saudi Arabia for Mecca Pact meeting

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting in Riyadh on Monday of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, an alliance founded in August with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Gen.

Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will also attend the committee meeting in the Saudi capital.At the meeting, Fidan is expected to share Türkiye's views on the institutionalisation of the alliance and steps to be taken in the coming days, as well as assessments of threats to peace and stability in the Middle East.Fidan is also expected to express Türkiye's views on regional developments concerning the allies' collective security and note that the progress achieved in the alliance's work in the short time since it was founded is valuable from the perspective of establishing lasting stability in the region.Solidarity with Saudi ArabiaThe top Turkish diplomat is expected to reaffirm Türkiye's strong solidarity with and support for Saudi Arabia in the face of recent Houthi attacks and underline that provocative actions targeting holy sites are unacceptable.Fidan is also expected to highlight the alliance's importance not only in developing a joint and effective response to existing threats but also in preventing regional crises.He is set to stress that resolving disputes in the region through peaceful means remains a priority and that actions that could further escalate tensions should be avoided.Fidan is also expected to reiterate the importance of ensuring freedom and security of navigation along international trade routes and draw attention to Israel's continued targeting of efforts to establish peace and stability in the region.Mecca agreement for joint defenceTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca on August 7.The agreement reflects Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia's commitments to developing regional solutions to regional problems and their shared strategic vision focused on regional security and stability.It aims to strengthen the security of the three countries through collective deterrence and defence.A Strategic Political and Defence Committee made up of the foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of General Staff of the three countries was established to guide activities under the agreement.The committee held its first meeting in Istanbul on August 31, hosted by Türkiye.Foundational decisions were taken at the meeting, and technical work towards institutionalising the alliance was reviewed, including establishing the alliance's secretariat in Riyadh as soon as possible.Retired Pakistani Lt.

Gen.

Nauman Mahmood was nominated to serve as the alliance’s first secretary-general.The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also met in New York on Sept. 24 on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.They discussed regional developments, and a joint statement issued afterwards condemned Houthi attacks targeting the holy city of Mecca as well as Saudi Arabia's civilian and economic infrastructure.The chiefs of General Staff of the three countries also met in Riyadh on September 25.