The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral pact announced last week between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, marks a significant and hugely symbolic step for the region. Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have all had proxy conflicts in the region, from Syria, to Yemen, to the volatile Pakistani province of Balochistan. US President Donald Trump has made Pakistani military chief Asim Munir his go-to guy on Iran, calling him his “favourite field marshal”. Greece, having become Israel’s main Mediterranean ally, has publicly raised the issue of Pakistani military assets in disputed waters as a sign of Turkish and Pakistani joint military preparedness. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to take sides in any Turkey-vs-Greece conflict.