08.08.2026 09:40
Following the signing of the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, landmark buildings in Saudi Arabia were illuminated with the colors of the three countries' flags. The agreement, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, aims to strengthen defense cooperation and joint deterrence among the three countries.
Landmarks and skyscrapers in various cities of Saudi Arabia were illuminated with the colors of the flags of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan due to the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement" signed between the three countries.
According to Saudi Arabia's official news agency SPA, prominent structures in different regions of the country were bathed in the colors of the Turkish, Saudi, and Pakistani flags as part of the celebrations held on the occasion of the signing of the agreement.
It was stated that the visual display symbolized the deep-rooted historical ties and strong relations between the three countries, while also emphasizing common strategic interests and close defense cooperation.
ERDOĞAN, BIN SALMAN, AND SHARIF SIGNED
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement" at a summit held in Makkah on August 7.
According to the joint statement published by SPA, Erdoğan and Sharif went to the country upon the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Mohammed bin Salman received the two leaders at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah, where the trilateral "Makkah Joint Defense Summit" was held.
AN ATTACK ON ONE COUNTRY WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ATTACK ON ALL THREE
The most notable article of the agreement envisages the establishment of a collective defense mechanism among the three countries.
According to the official joint statement, an armed attack against any of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, or Pakistan will be considered an attack against all three countries.
The agreement aims to strengthen common deterrence against any attack and to develop defense cooperation among the three countries in all areas. The parties aim for the agreement to contribute to peace, security, and stability not only in the region but also on a broader scale.
THE BASIS OF THE AGREEMENT IS THE 2025 PACT
The background of the new trilateral agreement includes the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in 2025.
In this agreement signed between Riyadh and Islamabad, the principle was also adopted that an attack on one of the parties would be considered an attack on the other. The Pakistani side had described this arrangement with a NATO-like collective security approach and comprehensive defense cooperation.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR TURKEY'S PARTICIPATION LASTED ABOUT A YEAR
Preparations for the trilateral defense mechanism, which also includes Turkey, had begun months before the signing of the agreement.
Pakistan's Minister of Defense Production, Raza Hayat Harrraj, in a statement to Reuters in January, announced that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan had prepared the draft of the trilateral defense agreement as a result of negotiations they had been conducting for about a year. Harrraj stated that the final consensus of all three countries was required for the agreement to be finalized.
This process revealed that efforts to formalize the defense relations of the three countries with a new agreement had been ongoing since 2025.
DEFENSE COOPERATION WILL BE DEVELOPED IN ALL AREAS
In the publicly announced framework of the agreement signed in Makkah, no specific country was defined as a threat. Instead, the goal of strengthening the common security of the three states, increasing collective deterrence against attacks, and developing defense cooperation in all its dimensions was set forth. The three countries described the agreement as a new security mechanism built on long-standing historical relations, common strategic interests, and existing defense cooperation.
ILLUMINATED CELEBRATION FROM SAUDI ARABIA FOR THE TRILATERAL AGREEMENT
Following the signing of the agreement, the illumination of landmark structures in Saudi Arabia with the colors of the Turkish, Saudi, and Pakistani flags became one of the symbolic images of the trilateral cooperation.
Saudi authorities stated that the lighting reflected the historical ties, strong relations, common strategic interests, and close defense cooperation among the three countries.