Turkish VP hails Mecca Joint Defence Agreement as ‘historic step’

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz described the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as a “historic step” that would strengthen the region’s security architecture.

In a statement on the Turkish social media company NSosyal, Yilmaz recalled on Friday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Mecca earlier in the day.

Calling the agreement a “historic step” for regional security, Yilmaz said it would reinforce cooperation in collective security, deterrence, the defence industry and regional stability, while advancing Türkiye’s peace-oriented foreign policy vision and multidimensional strategic partnerships.

He stressed that the agreement was “not directed against any country.”

Groundwork for ‘fairer global order’

Yilmaz also expressed hope that the strategic cooperation established in the security field would expand into economic areas.