Saudi Arabia, Pakistan reaffirm commitment to Mecca Defense Pact

• Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's FM Ishaq Dar met in New York during the 81st UN General Assembly session.
• They discussed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement and reaffirmed commitment to strengthening cooperation under it, per Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the Mecca defense pact and advancing regional peace and security, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar discussed the agreement during a meeting in New York, where the two are attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the ministry said in a statement on X.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 met with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud @FaisalBinFarhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York today.

The two… pic.twitter.com/QyrhzdriyG

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 22, 2026

The ministers "discussed matters pertaining to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under the agreement and advancing regional peace, stability, and security," according to the statement.

During the meeting, Dar conveyed Pakistan's "steadfast solidarity with the Kingdom and condemned the recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia."

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a bilateral defense pact last year, which was followed last month by a trilateral Mecca defense agreement bringing Turkiye into the arrangement as well.

The reaffirmation comes against a backdrop of escalating regional tensions: Saudi Arabia has recently come under attack from Yemen's Houthi movement, with both sides trading aerial, missile and drone strikes amid the continuing US-Iran war.