By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Pakistan says Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week under the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar announced the talks on October 2. Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia will be discussed, along with an Iranian suggestion that the three countries consider political engagement with the Houthis.
Dar said Iran had raised political engagement as an alternative to further military escalation. He described it as a goodwill suggestion rather than a formal proposal and said the idea would be taken up by the three pact members.
The announcement follows the September 29 attack on the Taibah power distribution station in Madinah.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry blamed the Houthis and said the facility supplied electricity to the Prophet's Mosque. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry on October 1 also described it as a Houthi attack on civilian infrastructure serving the mosque and called for an immediate and unconditional end to such attacks.
The Houthis have disputed Saudi accusations over the Madinah strike. Responsibility therefore remains contested, even as Türkiye and Pakistan have publicly backed the Saudi account.
The Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence was signed in Mecca on August 7 by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry's published text says an armed attack against any one of the three states is to be considered an attack against all. It also commits them to expand defense cooperation and joint deterrence.
The Strategic Political and Defence Committee first met in Istanbul on August 31, bringing together the foreign ministers, defense ministers and military chiefs of the three countries. They agreed to further institutionalize cooperation, strengthen collective deterrence and defense, and deepen defense industry and joint technology cooperation.
The three foreign ministers met again in New York on September 24 after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and discussed plans for an urgent meeting of their military chiefs.
That session was later held in Riyadh. Türkiye's Ministry of National Defense said the commanders discussed military coordination, capability integration, deterrence and collective defense.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously said Türkiye could meet Saudi Arabia's military needs in certain technical areas as cooperation under the agreement developed.
Next week's Riyadh session takes the issue back to the pact's political and defense leadership after the chiefs of staff met under the same framework. The agenda now includes the response to attacks on Saudi Arabia and whether to pursue the political channel with the Houthis raised by Iran.
Sources: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Defense, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Bosphorus News review and reporting.