By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD — Kuwait has welcomed the newly signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as Islamabad says the three-country security framework could provide a foundation for broader regional cooperation.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah congratulated Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar during a telephone conversation late Sunday, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two foreign ministers also discussed the regional situation, including developments concerning Occupied East Jerusalem, as well as bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kuwait.

The conversation comes just days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in the Saudi holy city of Makkah on August 7.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah congratulated Dar on the signing of the agreement, signalling Kuwait’s positive response to the new trilateral security framework.

The agreement commits Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to treating an external armed attack against any one of the three countries as an attack against all three.

Pakistan has described the accord as defensive in nature and said it is consistent with the right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has also said the agreement is not directed against any particular country and does not replace existing bilateral or multilateral defence agreements involving the three signatories.

Dar has said the accord remains open to other countries in the region that are prepared to uphold its principles of mutual respect, cooperation and peaceful resolution of disputes.

A Pakistani diplomatic source told The South Asia Times that Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Azerbaijan are expected to join the defence framework, arguing that the four countries maintain strong relations with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

The source did not provide a timeline or details of any formal accession process, and there has been no official announcement from Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar or Azerbaijan confirming that they will join the agreement.

If confirmed, the participation of additional countries would significantly broaden the geographical and strategic reach of the Makkah framework.

Egypt would bring major political and military weight in the Arab world, while Kuwait and Qatar are important Gulf states with extensive international security relationships.

Azerbaijan, meanwhile, maintains close strategic relations with Türkiye and has developed increasingly strong ties with Pakistan.

The four countries' potential participation would also underscore the effort by the original three signatories to present the agreement as an inclusive regional security arrangement rather than an exclusive military bloc.