Foreign Relations

Trump Endorses Mecca Defense Pact Binding Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of three heads of state standing side by side in an ornate gold-curtained palace hall, each holding an open signed agreement folder bearing his national flag, with long signing tables and chairs behind them.

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in a statement posted late Sunday, saying he was very happy that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan had finally signed it and calling the accord a big, bold and important first step. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the pact at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on August 7. The joint statement provides that any armed attack against one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. Pakistan’s foreign ministry has said the agreement rejects Israel’s hegemony.

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