India Reacts to Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey Defence Pact, Says New Delhi Will Protect National Interests

New Delhi: India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said it is examining the implications of the newly signed Mecca Defence Pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as the trilateral agreement adds a new layer to the shifting security landscape in West Asia.

Responding to questions during a briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely tracking developments linked to the West Asia conflict and studying what the new pact means for its own security.

“As far as this particular agreement is concerned, we are examining its implications, both from the perspective of our national security as well as considerations of regional stability, peace and stability. India remains fully committed to safeguarding its national interest and we will take all necessary measures in this regard,” Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal had given an initial reaction days earlier, when he said India was “closely following” the agreement soon after it was signed and would keep providing updates as the situation developed.

Details of the Pact

The agreement, called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, was signed on August 7 in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Under the pact, an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three. Official statements from the three governments said the agreement is meant to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and expand defence cooperation among the signatories.

Saudi Arabia issued a separate statement saying the pact is not a military alliance or a religious bloc, and does not involve nuclear ambitions or a regional arms race. Riyadh said the deal is aimed at building self-reliant defence capabilities without affecting its existing ties with Gulf, Arab and global partners.

Erdogan, in a post on social media, said the pact rests on the principle of collective deterrence and is meant to widen defence cooperation, support joint defence production and strengthen efforts against terrorism. He said the agreement reflects the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, does not target any particular country, and is open to other nations that support peace and stability in the region.

The trilateral pact builds on an earlier bilateral defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, signed in September last year, which also stated that an attack on either country would be seen as an attack on both.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has described the wider arrangement as an “Islamic NATO” and said that if countries like Qatar also join, it would reduce the region’s dependence on outside powers. Asked whether India shared any concern over that description, Jaiswal maintained India’s earlier position without directly endorsing or rejecting the phrase.

During the same briefing, Jaiswal was also asked about remarks by Asif referring to Pakistan as a victim of terrorism and calling on Muslim countries to take up issues involving India and Israel. Jaiswal said India did not need to specify which country was responsible for cross-border terrorism or which one served as its source.

Regional Context

The pact comes against the backdrop of a widening conflict in West Asia, which has affected shipping and security in areas including the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following the escalation that began in February between the United States, Israel and Iran.

Pakistan has separately said it is working to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table under an understanding reached in June.

Saudi Arabia has long been a partner for India, with the two countries linked through energy, investment, defence and cultural ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 1947. Saudi Arabia also sits along the route of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, a transit and trade project that connects India, the Gulf and Europe, making developments in Riyadh’s regional alignments relevant to New Delhi’s own strategic calculations.

The MEA has not indicated any specific countermeasures so far, saying only that its assessment of the pact is ongoing.