Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of discussions, Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj has said, signaling a possible effort to strengthen regional security amid rising tensions over the past two years.
The minister told Reuters that the potential trilateral deal is separate from the bilateral Saudi-Pakistan agreement announced last year. He added that a final consensus between all three countries would be required to finalise the accord.
“The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Türkiye trilateral agreement is something that is already in the pipeline,” Harraj said in an interview.
“The draft agreement is already with us, with Saudi Arabia, and with Türkiye. All three countries are deliberating. This agreement has been under discussion for the last 10 months.”
Commenting on the matter at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said talks had taken place but no agreement had yet been signed.
Fidan emphasised the need for broader regional cooperation and trust to address the “cracks and problems” that have led to external interference, wars, terrorism, and instability in the region.
“At the end of all of these, we have a proposal like this: all regional nations must come together to create a cooperation platform on the issue of security,” Fidan said. Regional issues could be resolved if relevant countries would “be sure of each other,” he added.
“At the moment, there are meetings and talks, but no agreement has been signed. President Tayyip Erdogan envisions an inclusive platform that fosters wider cooperation and stability,” Fidan said, without directly naming Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.