‘Will be able to defend themselves…’: Trump lauds Saudi-Turkiye-Pakistan’s defence pact; what it means for India

US President Donald Trump has described the Saudi Arabia-Turkiye-Pakistan defence agreement as a “big, bold and important first step” and how these countries “will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way” even as India said it is examining the pact’s implications for its national security and regional peace and stability.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said he was “very happy” that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan had signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, adding that it showed how the Middle East was coming together. “It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way. THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP — WOW,” Trump wrote, congratulating the leadership of the three countries.

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The agreement was signed on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A joint statement said the pact builds on shared strategic interests and longstanding defence cooperation.

Under the agreement, any armed attack against one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three. It also seeks to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and enhance defence cooperation among the members.

Pakistan said the agreement was “purely defensive in nature”. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said it allows the three countries to make unified efforts to confront threats and security challenges. Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had also said the pact was not targeted against any country.

Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country, Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s holiest sites and is one of the world’s top oil exporters, while Turkiye is a NATO member state.

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Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on August 11 that India was examining the agreement from the perspective of its national security as well as regional peace and stability.

“India remains fully committed to safeguarding its national interests and will take all necessary measures in this regard,” Jaiswal said, adding that New Delhi continued to closely follow developments in the West Asia conflict.

Jaiswal also criticised Pakistan over human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and other parts of the country, and said the international community should hold Pakistan accountable for abuses and cross-border terrorism.