Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by their ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, pose after signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca.

NEW DELHI: India continues to examine the implications of the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye security pact for its own security as well as regional peace and stability, said ministry of external affairs. The ministry also stressed that India remains fully committed to safeguarding its national interests and will take all necessary measures in this regard.The Mecca joint defence agreement may be designed to address West Asia dynamics but it has also led to concerns in India about possible long-term diplomatic and security challenges that it might pose for the country vis-a-vis its relations with Pakistan.The primary concern for now of course is what the pact might mean for its policy of zero tolerance against cross-border terrorism and of setting a strategic deterrence against Pakistan’s support for the same, amid the likelihood of an augmentation of Pakistani military capabilities through the agreement.“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,”said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. TNN