Mecca agreement: Why Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan teamed up at this historical moment

Mecca agreement: Why Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan teamed up at this historical moment Submitted by Ahmed Altuwaijri on Mon, 08/17/2026 - 19:34 The best defence alliance is not one that makes a state dependent on its allies forever, but one that makes it more capable of relying on itself The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement by Saudi Arabia , Pakistan and Turkey this month was not the product of Riyadh’s reaction to a specific, immediate threat, as many have assumed. A deeper reading reveals a convergence of strategic interests among the three signatory countries, which differ in their geography, their sources of power, and the imminent threats and challenges faced by each. Yet they share a growing realisation that the security order that governed the Middle East and Southwest Asia for decades is no longer capable of providing the same guarantees it once did.