Overview
- Bloomberg reporting, carried by Geo News and ThePrint, says Ankara is close to joining the Saudi–Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, with people familiar calling a deal very likely.
- The SMDA, signed in September 2025 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all.
- There is no official confirmation, as Turkey’s Defense Ministry declined to comment and Pakistani and Saudi authorities did not provide immediate responses.
- Existing cooperation includes Turkish corvettes for Pakistan’s navy, upgrades to Pakistani F-16s, shared drone technology, and a first-ever Turkey–Saudi naval meeting in Ankara this week, with Ankara courting both for its Kaan fighter program.
- Sources and analysts attribute the drive to overlapping regional interests and doubts about U.S. reliability, with complementary strengths cited: Saudi financial resources, Pakistan’s nuclear and missile capabilities, and Turkey’s defense industry.