Jeddah — Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are expected to sign a trilateral defence agreement in Jeddah this week, according to Saudi military and government sources, in a move aimed at deepening security cooperation as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to reshape the Middle East’s strategic landscape.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Red Sea city before the agreement is signed.
The pact, which has been under discussion for months, has gained urgency following months of regional instability triggered by the US-Israeli war and subsequent Iranian retaliation, which has drawn Gulf states into heightened security coordination and disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and parts of the Red Sea.
“It was under discussion for a long time, but the latest developments in the region expedited it,” a Saudi military source familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A second source close to the Saudi government also confirmed that the agreement was expected to be signed on Friday.
Sharif, accompanied by Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a three-day visit and performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca on Friday morning before travelling to Jeddah.
Erdogan arrived later on Friday at King Abdulaziz International Airport, where he was received by Saudi officials as well as Turkey’s ambassador to Riyadh and consul general in Jeddah.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Sharif’s visit, which runs from August 6 to Aug. 8, comes at a time of heightened regional tensions but extends beyond the immediate crisis.
“Although taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, the visit carries significance beyond the immediate crisis and short-term considerations,” foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday.
Regional security
The three countries have been the subject of months of speculation over a possible strategic alignment as regional powers reassess their security partnerships.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly faced missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran and Tehran-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq in recent months, reinforcing concerns in Riyadh about regional security.
Pakistan has sought to position itself as a mediator in efforts to ease tensions between the United States and Iran, while Turkey has remained diplomatically active on conflicts across the region, including negotiations linked to Gaza.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a bilateral defence pact in 2025, a development that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world’s only nuclear-armed state.
Defence cooperation
While details of the trilateral agreement have not been officially released, analysts expect it to focus on defence industrial cooperation, military capacity-building, technology transfers and broader strategic coordination.
Murat Aslan, associate professor of international politics at Hasan Kalyoncu University, said the agreement was likely to include elements of deterrence and defence cooperation.
“We know that Saudi Arabia has depended on imported defence systems, especially from the United States, for decades, and it is seeking to build its own defence industry,” Aslan told Al Jazeera.
He said Turkey’s expanding defence manufacturing sector could play an important role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambitions while strengthening broader regional security cooperation.
“Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan all have security concerns related to Iran in different ways,” he said. “This pact is likely to expand their collective security cooperation.”
The expected agreement comes as countries across the Middle East increasingly seek new regional security arrangements amid prolonged geopolitical uncertainty and shifting global alliances.