Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Sign Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

Three countries that are friends — Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan — met in the holy city of Mecca and signed a special promise called the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

The promise says that if any one of them is attacked, the other two will treat it as an attack on all three, like friends who stick together.

The leaders who signed it were Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who came with his top army general, Asim Munir.

They said the agreement is only for protection, is not meant to be used to attack anyone, and other countries can join later if they want.

It happened because there has been a lot of fighting in the Middle East, including a war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Iran and its friends have fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, and many ships carrying oil have been blocked near a narrow waterway called the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has been hit many times, so it wants strong allies to help keep it safe.

Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO, and Pakistan is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons.

Iran said the agreement would not make Saudi Arabia safer, and India is watching closely.

The leaders hope the promise will bring peace and safety to their people.