Bahrain FM congratulates Dar on Makkah defence pact

Bahraini FM also expresses his intention to visit Pakistan in the near future

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani congratulated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye during a telephone call, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday, establishing a framework for collective security and defence cooperation under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all. The pact was built on a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which contained a similar mutual-defence commitment.

According to a post on X by the FO, Al Zayani called Dar on Monday night and congratulated him on the agreement. He also expressed his intention to visit Pakistan in the near future.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 received a call from H.E. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, last night.

Foreign Minister Al Zayani congratulated the DPM/FM on the signing of the Makkah… pic.twitter.com/nrzaktm0Qj

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 11, 2026

Dar “warmly welcomed” Al Zayani’s desire to visit Pakistan and thanked him for his “kind sentiments”, the FO said. The deputy prime minister also reiterated Pakistan’s “firm commitment” to promoting dialogue and diplomacy to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The call followed a series of conversations Dar held with regional and international leaders on Monday, during which he briefed them on the newly signed defence agreement.

Dar shared “the contours” of the pact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who thanked him for outlining its key aspects. The two also discussed regional and international developments and agreed to remain in close contact. Iran cautiously welcomed the agreement.

Dar also spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and former Guinea-Bissau president General Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

The discussions focused on the Makkah agreement, regional developments and bilateral ties. Dar emphasised the pact’s role in “strengthening strategic cooperation” and contributing to “regional peace, stability and security”.

Dar had also reiterated on Monday that the Makkah agreement was “defensive in nature” and “not directed against any country”. He said its purpose was to strengthen “collective deterrence against external aggression” and reinforce the three countries’ capacity to defend their “sovereignty, territorial integrity and peoples”.

Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Türkiye would be regarded as an attack against all three, consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Dar had stressed that the accord was “not an instrument of confrontation” but an “expression of our collective commitment to peace through strength, solidarity and mutual respect”.

Speaking at a meeting of the federal cabinet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday also sought to reassure that the Makkah accord is not an act of aggression but meant to promote peace and stability.

Significance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Türkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.

Read More: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye sign joint defence pact in Makkah

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.

The three countries already had extensive military links. Pakistan had provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara had maintained close defence ties through military training, naval cooperation and defence equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described as its largest defence export contract.

Pakistan had also expanded its military and security cooperation with the kingdom, deploying about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi air base under defence pact Islamabad had also been pursuing wider security and economic ties in the Gulf, including negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded cooperation pact linked to energy and investment. Pakistan-Kuwait agree to boost cooperation across key sectors

The signing in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, added symbolic weight to an agreement that brought together three countries with significant military and strategic capabilities. It also came as Pakistan sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the Iran conflict, instead pursuing diplomatic efforts to mediate, while strengthening its broader regional security partnerships.