ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Jeddah on Friday, where he is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, amid regional tensions between the United States and Iran.
Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Thursday for a three-day visit heading a delegation comprising Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers and officials. Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson has said Sharif will review bilateral ties and discuss regional developments with the Saudi crown prince during the trip.
Sharif’s and Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia takes place at a time when the Middle East region is on edge. US President Donald Trump canceled planned strikes against Iran on Sunday, saying Middle Eastern countries had reached the “parameters of a deal” to end the Iran war. Tehran also said earlier this week that it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar and other regional countries have been closely involved in efforts to end the war, which began in February when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
“Our President, His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will pay a one-day working visit to Saudi Arabia on August 7, 2026,” Burhanettin Duran, the head of communications at the Turkish presidency, wrote on social media platform X.
“In the framework of the visit, it is anticipated that His Excellency the President will meet with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.”
Pakistani and Saudi officials have not spoken about Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia or what will be discussed in a potential meeting between the heads of state. However, international news agency AFP reported, citing sources, that Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will sign a joint defense agreement in Jeddah on Friday.
It said the regional powers are looking to strengthen security ties amid the US and Iran war, which has drawn in Gulf states and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark defense pact in September 2025. The agreement stipulates that an attack against one country will be seen as an attack against both, formalizing decades of security cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh.
The defense agreement is an important one as Pakistan is the only nuclear-equipped state while Saudi Arabia is an economic power in the Middle East region.
Pakistan has played a key role in mediating between the US and Iran since the war began in February. Türkiye, on the other hand, has also played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
