Pakistan, Turkiye back diplomacy over regional challenges

Mettis Global reported that Pakistan and Turkiye renewed their pledge to widen cooperation on shared concerns, with both sides agreeing that dialogue and diplomacy are the preferred route to tackle regional challenges. The pledge emerged from a phone call between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, who reviewed recent developments in the region. A press release issued after the call described the discussion.

The call takes place as the two nations build closer links, mainly in defence and regional security. Earlier, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral framework meant to bolster collective defence and stability across the region. According to a joint statement, the pact is intended to deter outside aggression, and an attack on any one of the three would be considered an attack on the others.

The pact was agreed as three Sunni Muslim partners of Washington reacted to escalating tensions, among them missile attacks on Gulf oil exporters and disruptions to energy shipments. The call thus pairs a push for diplomacy with growing defence ties.