Kathmandu— Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey met in Istanbul to formally name their new mutual defence pact as the Mecca Defence Alliance. The alliance's secretariat is being established in Riyadh with plans for a Pakistani official to serve as its first secretary-general. This comes amid renewed US-Iran tensions, testing the substance of the newly formed pact.

Alliance Principles and Expansion

The Mecca Defence Alliance is based on principles such as respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it remains open to other countries in the region. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that the alliance respects international norms and is not intended to intervene in internal affairs of states. The pact's full terms are yet to be made public before being sent for parliamentary ratification.

Operational Structure

The Strategic Political and Defence Committee, created under the joint defence agreement signed in Mecca on August 7, is working to operationalize the political declaration that an attack on any one of the three states will be treated as an attack on all. The institutional structure, including when the mutual defence clause would be invoked, remains unclear. A permanent secretariat based in Saudi Arabia has been established, but its exact functions are still being determined.

Regional Security Dynamics

The alliance's formation comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, with recent strikes by both sides breaking a lull in their conflict. Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran is seen as crucial for maintaining its credibility within the pact. Analysts suggest that the real test of the alliance will come once regional conflicts are resolved.

Potential New Members

The Mecca Defence Alliance remains open to other states, with Bangladesh showing interest and Egypt being considered a strategically significant candidate. However, any expansion would require agreement among the founding partners on committing to a new entrant’s security. Analysts are divided on who might join next, but they generally agree that Gulf states like Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain could be near-term movers.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.