President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Saudi Arabia. The Mecca pact is intended primarily to deter attacks on Saudi Arabia, specifically by Iran and its allies, Esen said. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already signed the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on September 17, 2025, declaring that external aggression against either would be treated as aggression against both. He also linked the decision to Turkey’s effort to demonstrate goodwill toward Saudi Arabia and secure funding from the kingdom. “Should these countries develop joint defense mechanisms, joint command centers and coordinated troop movements, we will have to reassess our position,” he said.