ISTANBUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday that the process of establishing a "new security and cooperation architecture" in the region had begun, as Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan held the inaugural meeting of their joint defense committee.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks at a press conference during the Doha Forum 2024 in Qatar, Dec. 8, 2024. (File photo: Xinhua)

"With today's first meeting, we have demonstrated that we are ready to take responsibility for regional peace, security, and stability," Fidan said at a press conference following the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee, established under the recently signed Makkah Joint Defense Agreement.

He said the defense pact is open to other regional countries, but expansion would proceed gradually after a robust institutional foundation is established to integrate new members.

He also underlined the defensive nature of the pact, saying that it does not target any specific nation.

The pact was signed on Aug. 7 in Makkah by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

The agreement seeks to strengthen joint deterrence among the three countries amid growing regional and global instability. It stipulates that an attack on any one of the signatories will be considered an attack on all three.