Riyadh: Pakistan Leads New Mecca Defense Alliance as Saudi-Pakistan Trade Targets $3 Billion

Pakistan has secured a landmark dual milestone in its relationship with Saudi Arabia: the new Mecca Defense Alliance has established its permanent secretariat in Riyadh with a Pakistani diplomat as inaugural secretary-general, while Islamabad and Riyadh agreed to a historic deal to grow Pakistani agricultural exports to the kingdom to $3 billion within two years. Both developments carry direct significance for the large Pakistani community living and working in the Saudi capital.

Pakistan to Lead Mecca Defense Alliance Headquartered in Riyadh

The three founding members of the Mecca Defense Alliance — Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan — emerged from their inaugural Istanbul summit having formally established the alliance as a functioning multilateral defense institution. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced at a news conference that the alliance's permanent secretariat has been established in Riyadh, and that Pakistan will hold the inaugural secretary-general post. 'There is a secretariat that has been established in Riyadh, and the first secretary-general will be appointed amongst our Pakistani brothers,' Fidan said. The Mecca Defense Alliance also launched the Strategic Political and Defense Committee as its central governing body. Fidan described the alliance's founding principles as rooted in international law and the concept of regional ownership: 'Attempts to impose solutions on our region from outside do not provide remedies to our problems. It has become an urgent necessity.' Beyond the three founding members, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Syria have signaled interest in joining what analysts describe as the Muslim world's answer to NATO. The set of outcomes from the Istanbul summit transformed what had begun as a political declaration signed three weeks earlier into a functioning multilateral institution with a permanent home in Riyadh and Pakistan at the helm of its administration. [1]

🏢 Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Agree to Grow Food Exports to $3 Billion in Two Years

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to grow Pakistani agricultural and food exports to the kingdom to $3 billion within two years, according to a joint statement from Pakistan's prime minister's office. The agreement was reached following talks between Saudi Arabia's Agriculture Ministry and Pakistan's National Food Security and Research Ministry, at the initiative of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A Saudi delegation led by Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman A. Alfadley visited Islamabad, with the Pakistani side led by Food Security Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain; Sharif also met the delegation directly. The two sides identified rice, red meat, fruits and fruit concentrates, green fodder, and water-efficient agricultural technologies as priority trade and investment sectors. Pakistan currently supplies Saudi Arabia with around 169,000 tons of rice worth $163 million annually, and the Saudi side expressed interest in further increasing rice imports. Annual Pakistani red meat exports of approximately 30,000 tons valued at $167 million are also targeted for gradual doubling. Investment proposals from Pakistan's private sector in livestock, agri-food processing, and the rice value chain were also reviewed. Both countries reaffirmed their longstanding strategic ties and noted the alignment between Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 food-security priorities and Pakistan's agricultural export potential. [3]

Sources: [1] Kurdistan24 · [3] Anadolu Ajansı