ISTANBUL (MNN); Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (COAS & CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, has arrived in Türkiye on an official visit as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye prepare to hold the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
The landmark meeting is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on August 31, 2026, bringing together the senior political and military leadership of the three countries to discuss defence cooperation, regional security and strategic coordination.
Pakistan will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The meeting will also be attended by the foreign and defence ministers, as well as the chiefs of general staff of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, according to the curtain-raiser issued ahead of the meeting.
Pakistan’s participation, officials said, reflects its historic bonds of friendship with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and its commitment to promoting lasting regional peace, security and stability.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on August 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be considered an attack against all.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee will be held in Istanbul. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen Selcuk Bayraktaroglu are expected to participate.
Saudi Arabia will also send its foreign and defence ministers and senior military leadership to the meeting.
Ishaq Dar Arrives in Istanbul
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Istanbul on Sunday after concluding his official visit to the United Kingdom.
He was received at the airport by Turkish Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Brig Gen Senol Varol, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Dr Yousaf Junaid, Turkish Foreign Ministry Ambassador Cihad Erginay and other senior Turkish officials.
Following his arrival, Dar visited the shrine of Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (RA), where he offered prayers for Pakistan’s peace and prosperity, the welfare of its people and unity among the Muslim Ummah.
The Foreign Office has not disclosed details of Dar’s other engagements in Istanbul, saying only that official engagements were included in his itinerary.
R-4 Meeting Also in Focus
Dar’s Istanbul visit also comes amid preparations for a separate Regional-4 (R-4) meeting involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had invited Dar to attend the forum, which focuses on regional security, diplomatic coordination and stability.
The R-4 grouping emerged in March amid diplomatic efforts related to mediation between the United States and Iran.
The latest R-4 meeting was held in Amman on August 5, where the four countries stressed the importance of continued consultation and close coordination to advance regional stability.
An earlier meeting in Cairo in June welcomed the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran. The first two R-4 meetings were held in Riyadh and Islamabad in March.
Dar Completes UK Visit
Before arriving in Istanbul, Dar concluded an official visit to the United Kingdom, where he held talks with senior British officials, including Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Minister of State for Pakistan Stephen Doughty, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, International Maritime Organisation Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez and Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
Dar also met British parliamentarians of Pakistani origin and interacted with members of the Pakistani diaspora.
The Istanbul meeting is expected to provide an important platform for the three countries to translate their newly established defence partnership into a framework for greater strategic coordination, collective security and regional stability.
