Officials say Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a key defense agreement

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a defense agreement, deepening cooperation amid growing security concernsBySUZAN FRASER Associated Press and MUNIR AHMED Associated PressANKARA, Turkey -- Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, deepening cooperation between the three regional powers at a time of growing security concerns.The agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca during a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.“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," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three States,” the statement said of the agreement, which brings oil-rich Saudi Arabia together with nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry.Earlier, Turke...