Jaishankar added India would factor the pact into its security calculus, adding that actions by countries “not well disposed” towards India would count
India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar downplayed the significance of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, questioning its relevance amid the “live military situations” faced by the three signatories.
“There are live military situations which each of the signatories face, what has the Makkah pact done in response to that?” he said when asked about India’s reaction to the pact at an event in Delhi.
However, Jaishankar said India would factor the agreement into its security calculus, stressing that developments involving countries that are “not well disposed” towards India is always taken into account.
“In my calculus, everything counts, everything will have a weight…and sometimes things need to play out,” he said.
“Everything which happens on the part of any player who’s not well disposed towards me, of course counts in my calculation.”
Q: Are you worried about the Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey defence pact?
Dr. Jaishankar: You think about it. There are live military situations that each of the three countries is facing. What has this pact done in response to that? pic.twitter.com/2rWw4rEGVl
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) August 22, 2026
What is the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement?
The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, following talks between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A joint statement issued by the three countries on Friday said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is based on their shared strategic interests and longstanding defence cooperation.
“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 said.
“It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three states,” the joint statement said.
What MEA said earlier?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said (mention when) India is assessing the implications of the agreement from the perspective of both national security and regional peace and stability.
“As far as this agreement is concerned, we are examining its implications both from the perspective of India’s national security and considerations of regional peace and stability,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his bi-weekly media briefing.
Jaiswal also said India was continuing to closely monitor “all developments in the West Asia conflict.”
Jaishankar on Pakistan’s ‘unique’ use of terrorism
The external affairs minister also described Pakistan as a “unique” country, saying no other nation in the world uses “terrorism so systematically” and in a sustained manner to attack and pressure a neighbour.
Responding to a question on Pakistan-US relations, Jaishankar said the two countries have a “long history” of ties.
“Now, to a large extent, we have developed our own relationship with the United States, but here is the point: Pakistan is unique not because it is a neighbour of India. We have other neighbours. There are other countries who have problems between them.
“It is unique because in this day and age, there is no other country which uses terrorism so systematically and in such a sustained manner to attack and pressurise another neighbour, and that has an impact on public opinion in this country,” he said.
China: ‘We missed an opportunity to industrialise’
Jaishankar also spoke about India- China ties and how both countries have an interest in maintaining a “stable” relationship, while noting that the situation along the border would determine the broader state of ties.
“China industrialised much faster and much earlier than India..We missed an opportunity to industrialise and manufacture for 50 years from the 1960s onwards,” he said.
“China industrialised much faster and much earlier than India..We missed an opportunity to industrialise and manufacture for 50 years from the 1960s onwards,” says S Jaishankar at the ET World Leaders Forum pic.twitter.com/QaFnBWBWdB
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) August 22, 2026
“I think we went through a particularly bad patch between the summer of 2020 and the autumn of 2024, and that was primarily an outcome of the situation in the border areas,” he said.
