Talks under the "Makkah Joint Defence Agreement" between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye will be held in Istanbul on Monday to review the contours of the agreement and progress made so far, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday. According to a statement, the three countries, which signed the pact earlier this month, would discuss the agreement in detail at their first meeting since its signing. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Turkiye on an official visit. Reuters reported, citing a Turkish foreign ministry source, that top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for the first committee meeting under the joint defence accord they signed this month. Foreign and defence ministers, as well as the chiefs of staff of the three countries, will attend the meeting in Istanbul, the ​ministry source said. "International security issues will be on the agenda," the ​source said, with discussions expected to cover enhancing defence capabilities, greater interoperability among their ‌armed forces and deepening cooperation in the defence industry, including joint production and development. Six months after the US and Israel launched the war against Iran, negotiations are at ​an impasse and President Donald Trump's administration has stepped ​up efforts ⁠to punish Iran financially with what it has billed as an "economic D-Day". Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest military, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan ⁠and top ​oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open ​to expansion — with Egypt as a potential candidate — and did not seek to replace existing ​alliances. Read: What the Makkah Pact really signals Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Istanbul for the talks and other official engagements after concluding his visit to the UK. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 arrived in Istanbul, Türkiye today for official engagements. He was received by Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Brig. Gen. Şenol Varol, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Dr. Yousaf Junaid,… pic.twitter.com/nT6AWjy1dR — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 30, 2026 Upon his arrival, FM Dar was received by Turkiye’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Administrative Affairs Brig Gen Şenol Varol, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yousuf Junaid, Turkish Foreign Ministry Ambassador Cihad Erginay and other senior Turkish officials. After arriving in Istanbul, FM Dar visited the shrine of Hazrat Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari and offered Fateha. Upon arrival in Istanbul, Türkiye, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 visited the sacred shrine of Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (RA) to pay his respects and offered prayers for peace and prosperity of Pakistan and its people, as well as for… pic.twitter.com/CszwAjvzUc — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 30, 2026 He prayed for the security, peace and prosperity of Pakistan and its people, and also offered special prayers for the unity of the Muslim Ummah. During his official visit to Turkiye, FM Dar will participate in the meeting on the defence pact and hold other important meetings and attend official engagements. Also Read: Bangladesh interested in joining Makkah Defense pact Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a defence pact signed between the three countries was technically the same as Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence agreement, while clarifying that it was not aimed at Iran. "Makkah Joint Defence Agreement" was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, held at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah. The "Makkah Joint Defence Agreement" is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all. The significance of the pact can be gauged from the fact that several other countries have also expressed their willingness to join it. Two days after the agreement was signed, Fidan said Egypt was among the potential candidates to join the pact, adding that President Tayyip Erdogan wanted to see the alliance expand. Earlier this week, Bangladesh also expressed its willingness to join the pact, with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman telling parliament that the country would “positively” consider an invitation from the founding members of the Makkah pact to join the alliance.