Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a meeting held under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with his Saudi Arabian and Pakistani counterparts. The meeting took place in New York, where Fidan is attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
As part of a meeting of the agreement's foreign ministers, Fidan met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
The agreement's institutionalization was discussed
The ministers discussed the latest status of technical-level negotiations aimed at institutionalizing cooperation under the agreement. They also addressed preparations for the next meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, which is planned to take place in the coming period.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the ministers condemned “in the strongest terms” the heinous attacks targeting the holy city of Mecca and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic facilities. The statement reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s right under Article 51 of the UN Charter to take the measures it deems appropriate to defend its security. The ministers also discussed preparations for an urgent meeting of the three countries’ chiefs of staff to examine ways of supporting Saudi Arabia, in line with the provision that an attack on any party is considered an attack on all. The chiefs of staff met in Riyadh on September 25.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a defense agreement at a trilateral summit held in Mecca in August. Under the agreement, the parties pledged to strengthen joint security, deepen defense cooperation, and support peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Fidan also meets with Egypt's foreign minister
Fidan also met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in New York.
