Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan Sign Defense Pact: An Attack on One Is an Attack on All

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed a trilateral defense agreement providing for mutual support in the event of an external attack.

The signing of the agreement was announced on Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s page.

The signing took place amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following the outbreak of war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran in February. Since then, Iran and affiliated armed groups have carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

“The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Turkey and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of unilateral support from the Americans did not bring them security,” said Ibrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian parliament, immediately after news of the agreement between the countries broke.

On the eve of the pact’s signing, Saudi Arabia warned of the possibility of attacks by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and the Yemeni Houthis. This was one of the factors behind the increased coordination between Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad.

Erdogan told Reuters that the agreement is purely defensive in nature and is not directed against any specific country, but the parties did not disclose details of the military obligations stipulated in the treaty.

Pakistan has maintained military cooperation with Saudi Arabia for decades, including training the kingdom’s military personnel and providing technical assistance in the defense sector.

According to Reuters, in May, Pakistan deployed approximately 8,000 troops to Saudi Arabia and also transferred JF-17 fighter jets, drones, and Chinese HQ-9 air defense systems.

Turkey and Pakistan are also actively developing their military partnership. The countries cooperate in the production and supply of military ships and training aircraft, and in 2023, Saudi Arabia signed what was then its largest defense contract with Ankara, purchasing Turkish attack drones.

In 2025, Militarnyi reported that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had signed a mutual defense pact.

At the same time, the idea of creating a broader Arab defense alliance has been under discussion since 2015. Countries in the region have considered forming a structure similar to NATO, with its own combined armed forces.

Negotiations on establishing a trilateral defense framework lasted nearly a year. According to the Turkish side, other states in the region may also join the agreement.