India on Friday responded to the newly signed defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, saying it was “closely following the development.” The trilateral pact was signed during a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia, amid growing regional security concerns.
The development is significant for India as, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the agreement treats an attack on any one member as an attack on all.
“The Agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three States,” the Pakistan foreign ministry said in a statement, according to news agency AP.