Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani congratulated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on the signing of the Makkah Defence Pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye during a telephone conversation, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

According to the Foreign Office, Al Zayani called Dar on Monday night and welcomed the agreement, while also expressing his intention to visit Pakistan in the near future.

Dar warmly welcomed the Bahraini foreign minister’s proposed visit and thanked him for his message. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue and diplomacy as a means of promoting peace and stability across the region and beyond.

The Makkah agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Friday, creating a framework for collective security and defence cooperation. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three.

The agreement builds on the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which contained a similar mutual-defence commitment.

Dar has held a series of telephone conversations with regional and international leaders following the signing, briefing them on the purpose and framework of the trilateral agreement.

During a separate conversation, Dar briefed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the main elements of the pact. Araghchi thanked him for explaining its key provisions, while the two ministers also discussed regional and international developments and agreed to maintain close contact.

Iran has cautiously welcomed the agreement amid heightened tensions across the Middle East.

Dar also spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and former Guinea-Bissau president General Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

The discussions covered the Makkah agreement, regional security developments and bilateral relations. Dar highlighted the pact’s potential to strengthen strategic cooperation while contributing to regional peace, stability and security.

The Pakistani foreign minister has repeatedly stressed that the agreement is defensive in nature and is not directed against any particular country.

Dar said the pact was designed to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression and enhance the three countries’ ability to protect their sovereignty, territorial integrity and populations.

Under its provisions, an armed attack against Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Türkiye would be considered an attack against all three countries, consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defence recognised under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Dar described the agreement as an expression of a shared commitment to peace through strength, solidarity and mutual respect rather than an instrument of confrontation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also sought to reassure the federal cabinet on Monday that the agreement was not intended as an act of aggression and was instead aimed at supporting peace and stability.

The pact represents the latest development in longstanding military and strategic cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Signed in Makkah, the agreement establishes a framework for collective deterrence while expanding cooperation in defence and security.

Zardari Ends Weeks-Long Deadlock as Judicial Appointments Clear for Five High Courts

The agreement follows nearly a year of negotiations and comes at a time of growing instability across the Middle East. Türkiye and Pakistan have sought closer security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia has faced increasing security concerns as regional conflicts have threatened territory, critical infrastructure and economic interests.

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the new trilateral framework expands on their 2025 strategic defence agreement, which committed both countries to treating aggression against either side as aggression against both and to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.

The three countries already maintain extensive military links.

Pakistan has provided military training and technical assistance to Saudi Arabia for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara have expanded cooperation through military training, naval collaboration and defence equipment.

Saudi Arabia also agreed in 2023 to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described at the time as its largest defence export contract.

Pakistan has further expanded its security cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including the deployment of military personnel and defence capabilities to the kingdom under existing bilateral arrangements.

The signing of the agreement in Makkah also carries considerable symbolic significance. The city, regarded as Islam’s holiest, hosted a pact bringing together three countries with significant military capabilities and longstanding political and religious ties.

The agreement comes as Pakistan attempts to balance its regional security commitments with diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a wider conflict involving Iran.

Islamabad has sought to maintain diplomatic channels with Tehran while strengthening its strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, positioning itself as a supporter of regional dialogue rather than direct military confrontation.

Bahrain’s latest message to Dar adds to a growing series of regional reactions to the agreement and highlights the wider diplomatic attention surrounding Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye’s emerging security partnership.