The Mecca Defense Pact between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan is far more than a conventional military arrangement, according to Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence chief and diplomat.

In an op-ed article published in Asharq Alawsat, Prince Turki says the pact reflects a changing regional order and could become an important instrument for restoring strategic balance amid wars, shifting alliances, and uncertainty over traditional security guarantees.

Rejecting suggestions that the alliance is directed against a particular country or has a sectarian character, the Prince terms the agreement a defensive alliance among three non-sectarian states and argues that countries have a legitimate right under international law to form alliances in response to existing or anticipated security threats.

In his assessment, the pact must be understood against a larger geopolitical transformation. Conflicts across the Middle East have weakened the regional balance of power and raised the prospect of a strategic vacuum as the security architecture that prevailed for decades transforms. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan share concerns about these developments and possess complementary capabilities that could help fill that vacuum.

Together, the three countries represent considerable strategic weight. Türkiye brings military strength, defense-industrial capabilities and a pivotal position between Europe, the Middle East and the Black Sea region. Pakistan adds substantial military capabilities and strategic depth in South Asia. Saudi Arabia occupies a central position connecting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia while possessing economic, diplomatic, religious and energy influence. Prince Turki also leaves open the possibility that the alliance could eventually expand to other states sharing its objectives.

A substantial part of his argument challenges portrayals of Saudi Arabia as primarily the pact’s financier or as a country seeking external protection. Such interpretations, he maintains, underestimate the Kingdom’s own strategic assets.

Saudi Arabia sits astride the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, close to some of the world’s most important energy and maritime routes. Its oil reserves, production capacity and ability to influence global energy markets give it considerable international leverage. Vision 2030, meanwhile, is broadening this influence into investment, technology, logistics, manufacturing, mining, tourism, renewable and nuclear energy, and defense production.

Prince Turki gives equal importance to the Kingdom’s religious standing. As home to Mecca and Madinah, Saudi Arabia possesses a unique relationship with Muslim governments and communities worldwide. Combined with its G20 membership, diplomatic reach and partnerships with major global powers, this gives Riyadh multiple and overlapping sources of influence.

His central message is therefore that the Makkah Pact should not be viewed simply through the prism of immediate threats. It represents an attempt by three strategically important Muslim countries to build greater capacity to shape their own security environment.

For Saudi Arabia, Prince Turki concludes, the alliance is not a substitute for national strength or existing international partnerships. Rather, it is an additional layer of strategic security — one that could help protect the Kingdom’s transformation while contributing to a new regional balance in an increasingly multipolar world.