Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye Prepare Draft of Trilateral Defence Agreement: Defence Production Minister

**Islamabad:** Federal Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Haraj has said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have prepared a draft of a trilateral defence agreement after nearly a year of consultations.

Speaking to a British news agency, Raza Hayat Haraj stated that the proposed agreement among the three regional powers is separate from the bilateral defence agreement announced between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year. He added that finalizing the deal would require complete consensus among all three countries.

The minister said the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia–Türkiye trilateral agreement is currently in the pipeline. “We have the draft, Saudi Arabia has the same draft, and Türkiye also has it. All three countries are reviewing it,” he said.

According to the British news agency, the development may indicate that the three countries are seeking to strengthen mutual cooperation amid rising regional tensions and concerns over violence during the past two years.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, responding to media reports about talks among the three countries during a press conference in Istanbul, confirmed that discussions had taken place but said no agreement has yet been finalized.

Hakan Fidan emphasized the need for broader regional cooperation and trust-building to address mistrust, which he said often leads to instability caused by external influence, wars, or terrorism. He added that Türkiye supports the idea of bringing all regional countries onto a common platform for security cooperation, stressing that regional issues can be resolved if countries trust one another.

A few days earlier, US magazine Bloomberg claimed that Türkiye had expressed interest in joining a defence alliance with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. According to Bloomberg, such an alliance could alter the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond.

It is noteworthy that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a joint defence agreement last year, stating that aggression against one country would be considered aggression against both, a provision comparable to Article Five of the NATO alliance.