Kuwaiti foreign minister congratulates Dar on Makkah defence pact

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Monday felicitated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar over the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, the Foreign Office said in a post on X.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday, establishing a framework for collective security and defence cooperation under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all. The pact built on a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which contained a similar mutual-defence commitment.

According to the FO, Sheikh Jarrah spoke with Dar late Sunday night and congratulated him on the signing of the agreement. “The two also exchanged views on the regional situation, including Occupied East Jerusalem,” the FO said.

The two foreign ministers also discussed Pakistan-Kuwait bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest. The discussion included follow-up to Sheikh Jarrah’s recent visit to Pakistan and ways to further enhance cooperation and investment in key sectors.

“The two sides agreed to remain closely engaged,” the FO said.

During the conversation, Dar and Sheikh Jarrah also discussed the regional situation, with Occupied East Jerusalem among the issues under discussion. The FO said the two sides reviewed “matters of mutual interest” and agreed to maintain close engagement, particularly on bilateral cooperation and investment.

Dar said on Sunday that the agreement’s “sole purpose” was to strengthen ongoing efforts towards “peace, stability and prosperity” in the wider region. He described the Makkah Accord as a reflection of the “depth of the brotherly relations” between the leaderships and peoples of the three countries. Dar stressed that the accord did not “abrogate or replace” any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between the three countries, or their agreements with other countries or organisations.

Significance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Türkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.

Read More: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye sign joint defence pact in Makkah

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.

The three countries already had extensive military links. Pakistan had provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara had maintained close defence ties through military training, naval cooperation and defence equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described as its largest defence export contract.

Pakistan had also expanded its military and security cooperation with the kingdom, deploying about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi air base under defence pact Islamabad had also been pursuing wider security and economic ties in the Gulf, including negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded cooperation pact linked to energy and investment. Pakistan-Kuwait agree to boost cooperation across key sectors

The signing in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, added symbolic weight to an agreement that brought together three countries with significant military and strategic capabilities. It also came as Pakistan sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the Iran conflict, instead pursuing diplomatic efforts to mediate, while strengthening its broader regional security partnerships.