Ankara | Pakistan

Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia will form political and military mechanisms under a defence pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkiye’s defence ministry said on Thursday, adding the alliance would also deepen defence industry cooperation. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed last week as the Middle East grapples with fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has dragged in regional players and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. At a weekly briefing in Ankara, the ministry said the mechanisms would include the three countries’ defence ministers, foreign ministers, and military chiefs. It added that the joint military exercises were also being planned under the pact, while cooperation could include joint production and technology sharing in the defence industry. The remarks come a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he hoped more countries would join the agreement. “Our vision for it is not limited to the three countries,” th...

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir is on an official visit to Turkiye aimed at strengthening strategic and defence cooperation between the two countries, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that during his visit, the CDF had a series of high-level engagements with Ankara’s political and military leadership. “Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir called on President HE Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of National Defence, Yasar Guler, to discuss matters of mutual interest and regional security,” an ISPR statement read. The military’s media wing added that the discussions focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye in the “evolving geopolitical environment”. A post on the Turkish Presidency’s X account, which also had a picture of the two, said Erdogan received Munir at the Ankara airport. ISPR added that Field Marshal Munir was welcomed with a guard of honour at the Turkish Genera...

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to a post on the Turkish Presidency’s X account. The presidency’s post on Tuesday, which also had a picture of the two, said Erdogan received Munir at the Ankara airport. Reuters reported that the meeting was held behind closed doors at the Ankara airport. The report said that Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Chief of Turkish General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting. Separately, an X post by the Turkish embassy in Pakistan said CDF Munir was accorded a guard of honour by a tri-services contingent of the Turkish armed forces following his arrival in Ankara. General Bayraktaroglu welcomed him during his official visit, the post said. “Rooted in brotherhood, mutual trust and a shared strategic vision, the enduring defence and military cooperation between Turkiye and Pa...