Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to Formalise Defence Pact in Istanbul

Foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Istanbul on Monday to formally establish a "political and defence strategic committee" under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed earlier this month. The NATO-style mutual-defence pact, formed after the US-Israel war on Iran, could expand to include Egypt and Bangladesh, with India already monitoring the bloc's growth as a security concern. This consolidation of a nuclear-armed, oil-rich Sunni-majority military alliance marks a significant regional power realignment in the wake of the Iran conflict, reshaping the strategic landscape surrounding Israel.