Dar outlines Makkah Defence Pact’s next step...

Summary

• Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the Makkah Defence Pact’s political and defence committee will meet in Riyadh next week to discuss Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
• He noted that the three army chiefs already held a special session in Riyadh on September 25, after the countries’ foreign ministers met in New York in response to a rise in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
• He said the emergency meeting will focus on the Houthi attacks, mirroring the discussion the three foreign ministers already had in New York, and he confirmed it would take place next week.

AI Generated Summary

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the Makkah Defence Pact’s political and defence committee will meet in Riyadh next week to discuss Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Dar made the announcement at a press briefing in which he detailed the Pakistani delegation’s engagements at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, along with a series of high level meetings held on its sidelines.

He said Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia used their presence in New York to put together a plan, since he attended alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Dar explained that the Strategic Political Defence Committee, which the trilateral Makkah Accord established, brings together three officials from each member country: the foreign minister, the defence minister and the army chief.

He noted that the three army chiefs already held a special session in Riyadh on September 25, after the countries’ foreign ministers met in New York in response to a rise in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Dar said the countries have now agreed in principle to convene the full committee in Riyadh soon to review the current situation and the circumstances on the ground, particularly as they affect Saudi Arabia.