Munir and Saudi ambassador note progress under Makkah agreement — Dawn

In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador, Rajeh Tami Albugami. The sides expressed satisfaction with progress under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Dawn reports.

Meeting at General Headquarters

According to the Pakistani armed forces’ press service, ISPR, the ambassador visited General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Munir and Albugami discussed matters of mutual interest and the regional security situation.

In a statement, ISPR said the interlocutors emphasized the importance of strengthening defence cooperation, institutional ties and strategic coordination. Munir congratulated the diplomat on his appointment and expressed confidence that his tenure would contribute to further strengthening ties between Islamabad and Riyadh.

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Defence arrangements

Albugami began his diplomatic work in Islamabad last Thursday. Before meeting Munir, he held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have concluded two defence arrangements aimed at collective deterrence: the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance, which also includes Türkiye. The Makkah pact, signed on August 7, is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and allows member states to consider an attack on one of them as an attack on all.

Earlier this month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye held an emergency meeting within the alliance and agreed on the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. This took place amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on the kingdom.