Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador, Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy, have welcomed how far the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement has advanced, a military media office said on Monday.
The envoy paid a visit to Munir at GHQ in Rawalpindi, where the two discussed shared interests and the state of regional security, according to a statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Leaders stress defence cooperation and long-standing ties
Both men stressed the need to deepen defence collaboration, institutional links and strategic coordination under the pact. Munir offered congratulations on Albugamy’s posting and said the envoy’s tenure would reinforce bonds between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. ISPR described those ties as grounded in shared faith, mutual trust and strategic partnership.
Trilateral pact moves toward closer military cooperation
The discussions take place as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye work to turn their pledges under the Makkah pact into tighter military cooperation, amid heightened regional security concerns. The three states signed the accord in Makkah on August 7, 2026. It establishes collective defence, meaning an attack on any one member counts as an attack on all.
Since then the arrangement has become more formal, with the partners agreeing to improve coordination between their armed forces, boost collective deterrence and deepen defence cooperation. Pakistan was chosen to lead the agreement’s secretariat in Riyadh for an initial three-year term.
At a Riyadh meeting on October 5, the three countries also agreed to help the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in the kingdom when security threats arise, the Foreign Office said.
Renewed Islamabad-Riyadh diplomacy on regional security
Albugamy’s arrival coincides with fresh diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Riyadh over regional security. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the Saudi ambassador on October 16 and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to protecting the kingdom’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, an official statement said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already have longstanding defence and economic ties, and the trilateral agreement with Turkiye offers a framework for wider cooperation among the three countries.
