Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years.

Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters on Wednesday the potential deal between the three regional powers was separate from a bilateral Saudi-Pakistani accord announced last year. A final consensus between the three states is needed to complete the deal, he said.

“The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkey trilateral agreement is something that is already in pipeline,” Harraj said in an interview.

“The draft agreement is already available with us. The draft agreement is already with Saudi Arabia. The draft agreement is already available with Turkey. And all three countries are deliberating. And this agreement has been there for the last 10 months.”

Asked at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday about media reports on negotiations between the three sides, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said talks had been held but that no agreement had been signed.

Fidan pointed to a need for broader regional cooperation and trust to overcome distrust that creates “cracks and problems” that led to the emergence of external hegemonies, or wars and instability stemming from terrorism, in the region.

“At the end of all of these, we have a proposal like this: all regional nations must come together to create a cooperation platform on the issue of security,” Fidan said. Regional issues could be resolved if relevant countries would “be sure of each other,” he added.

“At the moment, there are meetings, talks, but we have not signed any agreement. Our President [Tayyip Erdogan]’s vision is for an inclusive platform that creates wider, bigger cooperation and stability,” Fidan said, without naming Pakistan or Saudi Arabia directly.

Media reports, including Bloomberg News, reported recently that Turkiye was seeking to join the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, citing people familiar with the matter.

Ankara enjoys warm ties with both Riyadh and Islamabad, while already cooperating notably with the latter in the domain of defence.

Pakistan recently received a new corvette from Turkiye, built under the MILGEM programme.

The SMDA, signed in September last year, treats an attack on either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia as an act of aggression against both, a provision comparable to Nato’s collective defence principle, the Bloomberg report said.

According to the Bloomberg report, Ankara is seeking to strengthen its defence posture through closer alignment with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as the three countries’ strategic interests increasingly overlap across South Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa.

Analysts cited in the report said Turkiye’s possible entry could affect the regional balance of power, with Saudi Arabia bringing financial strength, Pakistan contributing military manpower and strategic capabilities, and Turkiye adding combat experience and a growing defence industry.

Bloomberg added that Turkiye views the pact as a strategic hedge amid questions over US policy and uncertainty about Nato’s future role, and that an expanded alliance could lead to a new regional security alignment.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the SMDA on September 17 during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh, where he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the agreement at the Royal Court.

Senior civil and military officials from both sides attended the signing ceremony.

Weeks after the pact, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the National Assembly that several Arab and Muslim countries had expressed interest in signing similar defence agreements with Pakistan, and that the framework could expand to include more partners.

Pakistan and Turkiye already maintain close military cooperation, including naval shipbuilding projects, upgrades of Pakistan Air Force fighter jets, drone collaboration and discussions on participation in Turkiye’s Kaan fifth-generation fighter programme.