Pakistan, Turkey ready to help Riyadh in confronting its adversaries: Saudi Minister

Moscow, Oct 6 (Sputnik/UNI) Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have expressed their readiness to jointly counter those who attack the kingdom, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said.

"The Emergency Meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Alliance for Defence reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of our countries in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites.

The committee agreed to activate collective deterrence measures within the framework of the Alliance in response to the attacks and all those responsible for them," bin Salman said on X on Monday. On the same day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry published a joint statement following the emergency meeting, stating that Ankara, Riyadh and Islamabad had agreed on the appointment of the first Secretary-General of the Alliance.

"As part of the institutional development of the Makkah Alliance for Defence, the Committee decided to appoint His Excellency Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood (Retd.) of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as the first Secretary-General for a three-year term," the statement said.

The defence agreement was signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. According to the document, an armed attack on any of the participating countries is considered an attack on all three.

UNI IM