Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will have to remain in their joint defence agreement for at least 10 years after it comes into force, with members required to give three months’ written notice if they wish to withdraw thereafter.
At the time, the leaders announced its central principle — an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all. Plans for joint military exercises, intelligence sharing and defence production were also announced.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Islamabad was providing “whatever support is needed” to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and holy sites. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the agreement as defensive and said Turkey would not send troops into another country to carry out attacks.
Turkey has submitted the agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources told Reuters on Tuesday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Mecca on August 7.
