Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the Mecca defence pact and advancing regional peace and security, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar discussed the agreement during a meeting in New York, where they are attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the ministry said on X on Tuesday.
The ministers “discussed matters pertaining to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the agreement and advancing regional peace, stability, and security,” according to the statement.
During the meeting, Dar expressed Pakistan’s “steadfast solidarity with the Kingdom and condemned the recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia”.
Mecca defence pact
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral defence pact last year, followed last month by a trilateral Mecca defence agreement that also includes Türkiye.
The Mecca agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
Saudi Arabia has since faced one of the largest sustained missile and drone attacks in its modern history, with Tehran repeatedly targeting military bases, energy infrastructure and civilian sites.
The conflict has also expanded beyond Iran's borders, with Iran-aligned Houthis stepping up attacks on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
The deteriorating security environment has accelerated defence cooperation among regional partners.
