Trump welcomes Mecca Alliance deployment of Turkish and Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Donald Trump said Türkiye and Pakistan "want to help Saudi Arabia" by sending forces to the kingdom under the Mecca Alliance, calling it a good thing.

U.S. President Donald Trump has described the deployment of Turkish and Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Alliance as a good thing, saying the two countries "want to help Saudi Arabia."

Trump made the remarks on the White House lawn as he spoke to reporters before departing for Texas, in response to a CNN Türk correspondent who also noted that the kingdom had shortly before come under a new attack.

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia

Immediate move to collective defense

Following an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh, the Mecca Agreement’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee announced the immediate implementation of collective defense commitments, with the agreed military forces and capabilities to be provided to the kingdom and rapidly deployed in line with each party’s national legislation.

The three countries condemned the attempt to target Mecca and Medina and the continued attacks on cities and civilian and economic facilities in the kingdom, rejecting any threat to Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial integrity. The meeting came after the Houthis stepped up attacks from Yemen on Saudi territory.

Erdoğan and Trump at a multilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, also attended by Pakistan (2025)

Alliance’s first secretary-general

The agreement was signed on Aug. 7 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. As part of the alliance’s institutionalization, retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood was appointed its first secretary-general for three years.