Turkey submits Mecca defence pact to parliament for ratification

What happened

Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement to its parliament on Tuesday for ratification, advancing a three-country mutual-defense pact signed in August. The accord, forged between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, stipulates that an armed attack on any one member will be treated as an attack on all—mirroring NATO's Article 5. The agreement contains 16 articles covering military cooperation, intelligence sharing, defence industry development, and joint training. A critical provision bars member states from withdrawing before 10 years have elapsed, though countries may exit thereafter with three months' written notice.

The submission comes after the three countries activated the pact's "deterrence measures" on October 5 during an emergency meeting in Riyadh, pledging to rapidly deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia in response to escalating Houthi drone and missile attacks. Turkey's parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee will first debate and vote on the agreement before it proceeds to a full parliamentary vote. Turkish officials have signaled that Turkey's contribution is expected to focus on military equipment, intelligence, and weapons systems rather than combat deployments. Erdogan's ruling coalition holds a parliamentary majority, and the agreement is expected to win approval, though the full ratification timeline remains unclear.