Field Marshal Asim Munir Arrives in Türkiye for Regional Defence Meeting

ISTANBUL: Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (COAS & CDF), arrived in Türkiye on Sunday for an official visit as Ankara prepares to host a key trilateral defence meeting involving Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The first ministerial meeting of the newly established regional defence grouping is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Monday, according to Turkish sources. The meeting follows the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed earlier this month, under which the three countries have committed to mutual defence in the event of an attack on any member.

The agreement brings together Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest military, Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed country in the Muslim world, and Saudi Arabia, a major Gulf power.

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said the Istanbul meeting will focus on establishing a political and defence strategic committee comprising the foreign and defence ministers as well as the military chiefs of the three countries.

The meeting will be jointly chaired by Türkiye’s foreign and defence ministers and the Chief of the General Staff. Pakistan’s delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the defence minister and the country’s chief of defence forces.

Saudi Arabia is expected to participate through its foreign minister, defence minister and Chief of the General Staff.

According to Ankara, the discussions will cover regional and international security developments, strengthening defence capabilities, improving interoperability among the three armed forces and expanding cooperation in the defence industry.

The trilateral initiative comes amid heightened regional tensions, including the conflict involving the United States and Iran and attacks in the region linked to Iran-backed Houthi rebels.