Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan Sign the Makkah Pact, BPIP: Bring New Awareness to Regional Security

Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (center), President Türki Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left), and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif pose for a photo after signing the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement at Al-Safa Palace, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Friday (7/8/2026). (Photo: X @KSAmofaEN)

JAKARTA - The Expert Council of the Pancasila Ideological Development Agency (BPIP) for Foreign Relations Strategy, Darmansjah Djumala, assessed that the Mecca Defense Pact agreed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan is a new form of awareness of security dynamics in the Middle East region.

Darmansjah emphasized that the formation of this pact is not intended to trigger a new conflict in the region, but rather an independent push from regional countries.

"The Mecca Pact should not be read as a declaration of war against Iran, nor the formation of a solid military alliance. But the emergence of a new awareness that regional security must ultimately be increasingly determined by the countries of the region themselves," said Darmansjah in his official statement in Jakarta, Sunday.

Shifting Security Architecture and Dependency on the US

According to Darmansjah, the joint defense agreement indicates a decrease in the level of dependence of the three countries on the umbrella of security of the United States (US) in the Middle East region.

"This shows that the architecture of security in the Middle East is beginning to shift from dependence on the US to efforts to build its own regional defense capacity," he explained.

He revealed the strategic motives of each country in agreeing to this cooperation:

Saudi Arabia: Taking lessons from the experience of the US-Iran conflict in recent years which has affected regional stability. Turkey: Aiming to increase regional influence, expand access to the defense industry market, and play a greater role in the regional security order. Pakistan: Strengthening the long-standing strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia.

Learning from Regional Conflict Escalation

Furthermore, Darmansjah assessed that the dynamics of the conflict between the US and Iran provided an important lesson that the US military superiority did not automatically eliminate the vulnerability of the Gulf countries to external threats.

In addition, the recent incident of attacks in the region that drained the stockpiles of the Gulf countries' air defense systems showed a capability gap that needed to be immediately addressed together.

The signing of the Makkah Defense Pact

Previously, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan officially signed a joint defense agreement named the Mecca Defense Pact on Friday (7/8/2026).

The historic document was signed directly by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a summit meeting at the Al-Safa Palace, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.