Türkiye’s Parliament has approved a joint defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that commits the three countries to treat an external armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all three.
The Grand National Assembly voted 279 to 119 in favour of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Thursday, 5 November, after a debate over how the pact would work alongside Türkiye’s NATO commitments and whether it could draw the country into regional conflicts.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in October that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had completed their ratification procedures. Türkiye’s parliamentary record shows the approval bill was sent to the presidency on Friday. The pact formally enters into force once the final instrument of ratification is deposited with the alliance’s secretariat in Saudi Arabia.
What the pact commits the three countries to
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the 16-article agreement in Mecca on 7 August. Under its collective defence clause, a member under attack can request assistance, with the three governments deciding together what form that help should take. Sending Turkish troops abroad under the pact would require separate parliamentary approval.
The agreement also provides for joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism co-operation and logistical support. It opens the way for the three countries to share technology and develop and produce weapons together.
During the debate, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Ziya Altunyaldız said the pact was designed to deter conflict and was directed at no other country. Mehmet Güzelmansur of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) called for clear rules to safeguard parliamentary oversight and ensure the pact was consistent with Türkiye’s existing international obligations.
Saudi security concerns
The vote comes as Saudi Arabia faces renewed attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. At an emergency meeting in Riyadh on 5 October, the three governments agreed to make arrangements so that designated forces and equipment could be deployed quickly to Saudi Arabia, subject to their domestic laws. They also named retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said in October that Ankara would determine the scope of any support for Saudi Arabia after ratification. He said the aim was to strengthen deterrence and ruled out plans to fight the Houthis.
The pact gives Riyadh another security partnership alongside its longstanding ties with Washington. It also allows other countries to join with the consent of all three founding members. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani has said Damascus is in discussions about joining.
Read more from T‑VINE on the Mecca Pact and what it could mean for the region and North Cyprus
