Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey will sign a mutual defence agreement during a trilateral summit in Jeddah on Friday, uniting three major Sunni powers amid heightened regional tensions.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will convene in the Saudi port city for talks focused on security cooperation. Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening for a three-day visit accompanied by a high-level delegation including army chief and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the crown prince.
The pact builds on a Saudi-Pakistan defence agreement announced in September 2025 and follows Riyadh's announcement in late July of a 14-nation defensive maritime coalition, including Turkey and Pakistan, to secure Red Sea shipping. Pakistan has mediated for months to end the U.S.-Israel war on Iran launched on 28 February.