• CDF Munir, FM Dar arrive in Istanbul ahead of talks; top Saudi and Turkish officials expected to be in attendance
• Committee will outline roadmap, framework for secretariat: Turkish media
• International security issues, joint defence capabilities also on the agenda
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are in Turkiye ahead of the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which will be held in Istanbul today (Monday).
The maiden ministerial meeting of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan after the recent signing of Makkah pact is being seen as the first step towards establishing a framework for trilateral strategic and defence cooperation. According to an AFP report, the participants plan to address boosting defence capabilities, the interoperability of their armed forces, and their cooperation in the defence industry.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed that Mr Dar had reached Istanbul from the UK for “official engagements”.
Also, Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing, said Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir was in Turkiye on an “official visit”.
While confirming the meeting, the Turkish foreign ministry and state media said it would be attended by ministers and officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, besides Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, military chief General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and defence minister, Yasar Guler.
According to TRT, the meeting is expected to outline the framework for a secretariat and other relevant mechanisms, as well as establish a roadmap for steps to be taken in the coming period.
The meeting is also expected to provide an opportunity to reiterate that the Makkah pact “offers significant opportunities to all countries that seek to strengthen security, peace and stability in the region, approach issues through a cooperative security framework, and prioritise peace and prosperity over conflict”, it reported.
According to Reuters, the meeting will have “international security issues on the agenda”, with discussions expected to cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their armed forces, and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development.
The joint defence pact signed on Aug 7 empowers the member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.
Dar meets Fidan
Upon his arrival in Istanbul from the UK, Mr Dar was received by Turkish Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Brig General Senol Varol, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yousaf Junaid, Ambassador Cihad Erginay of the Turkish foreign ministry, and other senior officials of the Turkish government, the FO said.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Dar met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and discussed a range of issues of regional and international importance.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry released a statement, saying the two sides “expressed satisfaction at the continued strengthening and expansion of bilateral relations in the political, economic, security and cultural domains.”
Welcoming the progress achieved under the framework of the Pakistan-Turkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), the two foreign ministers agreed on the early convening of the next HLSCC session, the statement added.
The two sides also exchanged views on issues of regional and international importance and reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely for regional peace and stability, according to the readout.
Special Secretary (UN) Nabeel Munir, Director General (UN) Umar Siddique, First Secretary Qazi Saleem, and Deputy Director to the Foreign Minister Agha Hunain also joined Mr Dar for the meeting.
Besides the Makkah agreement meeting, Mr Dar was also expected to attend the likely Regional-4 meeting. Earlier this month, in response to an invitation by Turkiye’s Fidan, Mr Dar had confirmed his participation in the meeting, which was scheduled to take place in August, the FO had said. The R-4 group, which includes Egypt as well, has been focused on regional security and emerged in March amid efforts for mediation between the US and Iran.
The last R-4 meeting was held on August 5 in Amman, where the ministers “reaffirmed the importance of continued consultation and close coordination among the four countries in advancing regional stability”, according to the FO. The deputy premier later visited the shrine of Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (RA) to pay his respects.
In an earlier statement, the FO said Mr Dar “concluded a successful official visit to the UK”, where he met several officials, including UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez and Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. During the visit, he also interacted with British parliamentarians of Pakistani origin and the Pakistani diaspora in the UK.
Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2026
