Tehran: Top officials from the Mecca pact countries - Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan - are set to meet Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss regional coordination, said Ali Bagheri, Deputy Secretary of the Republic’s Supreme National Security Council, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
In an interview with a reporter from IRIB's political group, Bagheri said the visit was part of efforts to advance “endogenous security in West Asia” through cooperation among regional countries.
Referring to the visit last week of Pakistan's Army Chief, Bagheri said, "Asim Munir, in a meeting with Major General Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, had announced the decision of senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to travel to Tehran, meet with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and hold a joint meeting."
Bagheri said the purpose of the visit was to "consult and discuss with Major General Mohsen Rezaei about regional security”. He added that “Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani Army Commander General Asim Munir, and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin will attend the aforementioned meeting during their trip to Tehran."
The planned talks would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia came under escalating attacks from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.
Bagheri also referred to what he called the achievements of Iran and its armed forces in confronting the United States and Israel. According to IRIB, Bagheri said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran's model of defence based on internal and domestic capabilities has become a successful model for building national security."
Bagheri said Israel's role in the region posed a threat to regional stability. According to IRIB, he stated, "The illegitimate Zionist regime at any level in the West Asian region" was a threat to "the security and stability of the nations of the region".
He further said, "All three countries present at this meeting can, together with Iran, take an effective step to create endogenous security within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Iran's effective and efficient idea of regional security with the participation of regional actors, using the successful experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran in building national security."
The upcoming meeting is announced at a time when, earlier in October, US President Donald Trump said Türkiye and Pakistan "want to help Saudi Arabia" with the deployment of their military forces under the Mecca Alliance. He added that the move was "good".
(With inputs from Reuters & ANI)
