The agreement is being described by officials as a major step towards strengthening deterrence, security and regional stability, and as one of the most significant security and geopolitical developments involving major Muslim countries in recent years.
Under the announced provisions of the pact, the three countries will consider any armed attack against one member as an attack against all parties and commit to taking joint defence measures to address security threats.
The agreement, negotiations for which began last year, comes as the region faces heightened security tensions and the emergence of new political and defence alignments. Analysts say the pact could become one of the most important security cooperation frameworks among three influential powers in the Muslim world.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the agreement reflects a shared commitment by Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara to strengthening peace, security and stability at both the regional and wider levels. It added that the pact would take defence, security and strategic cooperation between the three countries into a new phase.
Strategic affairs analysts say the participation of Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed country in the Muslim world, and Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, could significantly increase the geopolitical weight of the alliance.
Sources close to the talks described the agreement as the first trilateral defence framework between the three countries and said its full implementation could alter the regional balance of power. However, details of the pact’s operational mechanisms and the scope of military cooperation have not yet been released.
NOURNEWS