Foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs attended the October 5 meeting amid the latest Saudi-led push against the Houthis in Yemen. The countries condemned the attempted targeting of Mecca and Madinah and appointed Pakistan’s Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general for a three-year term.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in August, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three. Before Monday’s talks, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the members would discuss Iran’s suggestion of political engagement with the Houthis as an alternative to military action.