Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday said the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement is open to countries willing to uphold its core principles, maintaining the pact is defensive in nature and aimed at promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the wider region.
Last week, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a joint defense pact, the Makkah Accord, establishing a collective security framework that deems any armed attack against any member state as an attack against all three countries.
In a statement on X, Dar said the agreement reflected the deep-rooted brotherly ties among the three countries and was the result of years of discussions and coordination to strengthen strategic cooperation in addressing shared peace and security challenges.
Clarifying that the accord neither abrogates nor replaces any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements involving the three countries, he said that in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, an armed attack on any one of the signatories would be regarded as an attack on all, consistent with the right to individual and collective self-defense.
He emphasized that the agreement is not directed against any country, adding its sole purpose is to reinforce ongoing efforts to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity. He said the pact remains open to any country in the region prepared to uphold its fundamental principles and resolve differences through mutual respect, cooperation and peaceful means.
The foreign minister stressed the accord was consistent with the fundamental pillars of Pakistan’s foreign policy and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to working with regional partners to advance the peaceful resolution of conflicts and build a more secure and prosperous future.
Earlier, after the signing of the pact, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to see the alliance expand. He said Egypt was a potential candidate to join, among others.