Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement on Friday, regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after it was attacked by the US and Israel.
While the pact further cements a burgeoning grouping of major Sunni Muslim powers, there was no immediate clarity on each state’s commitments.
A Turkish official confirmed the agreement will be signed.
Türkiye is a member of NATO. Saudi Arabia, another US ally, is one of the world’s top oil exporters and the strongest Gulf state, while Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by powerful army chief Asim Munir, will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah for the signing.
The pact follows nearly a year of negotiations, and as the Iran war exposes Gulf states’ security vulnerabilities and disrupts the shipping of oil and other key goods through the Strait of Hormuz.
