Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will hold the first meeting of their Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul on August 31.
The committee was created under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by the three countries earlier this month.
Senior foreign, defence and military officials from all three countries will attend the meeting.
The talks will focus on regional and global security. They will also cover defence cooperation, military coordination and counterterrorism.
Senior Officials to Attend
Turkey will host the first committee meeting in Istanbul.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu are expected to attend.
Pakistan will send Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir will also attend.
Saudi Arabia will be represented by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the first committee meeting will take place in Istanbul on August 31.
Defence and Security on the Agenda
The three countries will review regional and international security issues.
They will also discuss ways to strengthen their defence capabilities.
Military cooperation will form a major part of the talks. The countries are expected to examine ways to improve coordination between their armed forces.
They may also discuss joint military exercises and greater cooperation between their military units.
The goal is to improve the ability of the three countries to work together during security challenges.
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Defence Industry Cooperation
Defence industry cooperation will also feature in the meeting.
The three countries are expected to explore joint defence production. They may also discuss research and development.
Defence technology will be another important area.
Closer cooperation in these fields could help the three countries develop new defence capabilities. It could also create opportunities for joint projects.
Counterterrorism Cooperation
Counterterrorism will also be part of the discussions.
The three countries will look at ways to improve their joint efforts against terrorism.
They are expected to explore new areas of cooperation. These could include better coordination and information sharing.
The talks will also consider wider security challenges facing the region.
Plans for a Permanent Framework
The committee will also work on the future structure of the new defence partnership.
The three countries are expected to discuss ways to support joint projects and activities.
They may also develop a roadmap for future cooperation.
A permanent secretariat or other institutional arrangements could help manage the committee’s work.
Such a structure would give the three countries a regular framework for political and defence coordination.
What Is the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement?
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement.
The agreement aims to strengthen collective security and defence cooperation among the three countries.
It also seeks to support peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.
Collective Defence Clause
One of the key points of the agreement concerns collective defence.
The pact states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three.
The agreement also calls for stronger cooperation in all areas of defence.
This gives the three countries a clear framework for closer security cooperation.
A New Phase of Trilateral Cooperation
The Istanbul meeting will be the first major step toward putting the Makkah agreement into practice.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already have long-standing political and defence ties.
The new committee could give those ties a more regular and structured form.
The three countries also see closer cooperation as a way to address shared security challenges.
The Istanbul meeting will therefore be closely watched as the three countries begin building the new framework.
