CDF Munir, Turkish military chief deliberate on current regional and global security landscape
Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir meets Turkiye’s Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu at General Headquarters on Friday. — ISPR
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir deliberated on the prevailing regional and global security landscape with the Turkish military chief on Friday.
Pakistan and Turkiye maintain close defence ties. Ankara has been involved in building corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy and upgrading Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jets. Turkiye is also sharing drone technology with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and has proposed their participation in its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet programme.
State broadcaster PTV News said in a post on X that Turkiye’s Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu met Field Marshal Munir at the General Headquarters today.
"Besides dilating upon matters of mutual interest, prevailing regional and global security landscape, and prospects for strengthening bilateral defence and military cooperation were also discussed.
"The dignitaries expressed satisfaction on current trajectory of Pakistan-Turkiye relations while underscoring the requirement of maintaining close coordination and enhancing defence collaboration," the statement said.
It added that CDF Munir highlighted the "longstanding brotherly relationship" between Pakistan and Turkiye, which he said were rooted in shared history, mutual trust and strong people-to-people ties.
"He appreciated the support and cooperation extended by the Turkish Armed Forces and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral military-to-military relations. General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu expressed gratitude for the warm reception and appreciated the professionalism of the Pakistan Armed Forces. He reaffirmed Turkiye’s resolve to deepen defence cooperation, including training, joint exercises, and capacity-building initiatives," the statement said.
It added that the visit "reflects the enduring strategic partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye and their shared commitment to regional peace, stability, and security".
The Turkish military chief was presented with a guard of honour by an army contingent on his arrival.
General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Chief of the Turkish General Staff, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ) today. Upon his arrival at the General Headquarters, he was presented with the guard of honour by a smartly turned… pic.twitter.com/MCFQDkShKR
Read More: Pak-Saudi agreement: dawn of a new era
The meeting came in the wake of Defence Production Minister Raza Hayat Harraj confirming on Januray 15 that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye had prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks in a signal that they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years.
Harraj told Reuters about the potential deal between the three regional powers was separate from a bilateral Saudi-Pakistani defence deal announced last year. A final consensus between the three states was needed to complete the deal, he said.
"The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkiye trilateral agreement is something that is already in pipeline," Harraj said in an interview.
"The draft agreement is already available with us. The draft agreement is already with Saudi Arabia. The draft agreement is already available with Turkiye. And all three countries are deliberating. And this agreement has been there for the last 10 months."
Bloomberg had earlier reported that Turkiye was reportedly seeking to join a strategic mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg had said discussions were at an advanced stage and that an agreement was likely. The defence pact, signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in September last year, commits both countries to treat any aggression against one as an attack on both.
The report said Turkiye viewed the arrangement as a means to strengthen security cooperation and deterrence at a time when questions persist over the reliability of the United States and US president Donald Trump’s commitment to Nato, despite Washington’s strong military ties with all three countries.
Also Read: Turkiye seeks entry into Pak-Saudi defence pact: Bloomberg
According to Bloomberg, Turkiye’s strategic interests increasingly aligned with those of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia across South Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa, making its inclusion in the pact a logical expansion.
Analysts cited in the report highlighted the complementary strengths of the three countries, with Saudi Arabia providing financial resources, Pakistan offering nuclear capability, ballistic missile capacity and manpower, and Turkiye contributing military experience and a developed defence industry.
Read More: A trilateral partnership involving Pakistan, KSA and Turkey
The report noted that Turkiye’s potential entry into the pact would underline a new phase in its relations with Saudi Arabia, following years of strained ties. The two countries are now expanding cooperation in the economic and defence sectors and recently held their first-ever naval meeting in Ankara.