Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday agreed to enhance joint defence cooperation in the region in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul, ahead of the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee formed under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Radio Pakistan reported.

Turkish National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler was flanked by Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu during the meeting with the defence minister.

The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, is scheduled to take place in Istanbul today.

The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the agreement will bring together foreign and defence ministers as well as military chiefs from the three countries.

Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of the Turkish General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would participate in the meeting along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Chief of Army Staff & Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

“Pakistan’s participation in the meeting signifies Pakistan’s historic bonds of friendship with the brotherly countries of Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, as well as its desire for lasting regional peace and stability,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in the statement.

The Foreign Office also said that Deputy Prime Minister Dar arrived in Istanbul on Sunday “for official engagements”. Field Marshal Asim Munir also reached Istanbul on an “official visit”, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations.

Read: Bangladesh interested in joining Makkah Defence pact: official

The Istanbul meeting is the first concrete institutional step towards implementing the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 in the holy city of Makkah.

The agreement provides that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three, creating a collective defence commitment similar in principle to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

The three countries have described the arrangement as defensive and aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, rather than targeting any particular country.