Saudi Arabia issues a statement about the presence of its Defense Minister and representatives of the Mecca Alliance countries in Iran

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, on Monday, that the visit of the Saudi Defense Minister, Khalid bin Salman, and representatives of the countries of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to Tehran, came within the framework of reducing the escalation between the parties to the current crisis and encouraging dialogue and diplomacy. A statement from the ministry said that Saudi Arabia looks forward "to the parties to the crisis dealing positively and practically with the results of this visit and with the continuing efforts of Qatar and Pakistan, in a way that contributes to resolving the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy."

The Saudi Foreign Ministry also stressed in its statement "the importance of opening negotiation channels to prevent the return of military escalation in the region, and in preparation for reaching an agreement that ends the crisis and achieves security and peace in the region and the world." Saudi Arabia reiterated its emphasis on "the pivotal role of the Mecca Agreement countries in establishing the security and stability of the region and working with all countries to ensure the achievement of peace in the region and the world."

It is noteworthy that the "Mecca Defense Pact", which was established in August, aims to coordinate defense and security cooperation between Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and stipulates the obligation of each country to intervene if one of the other countries is attacked, similar to the agreements in force between NATO countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been subjected to attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi group in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, the three countries announced that they would move immediately to implement collective defense commitments and ensure the rapid deployment of forces and military capabilities within the Kingdom.