Turkey submits Mecca defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament
Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification on Tuesday, three parliamentary sources told Reuters.
Turkey has submitted the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement — its mutual-defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources told Reuters on Tuesday (Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-submits-saudi-pakistan-defence-pact-parliament-ratification-sources-say-2026-10-20/).
The three countries signed the agreement on 7 August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The joint statement did not specify each country’s commitments, Reuters reported.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, visiting Kyrgyzstan, will refer the agreement to parliament’s foreign affairs commission on his return, two of the sources said; the commission could debate it as early as Friday. Under the Turkish constitution a simple parliamentary majority is enough to ratify the agreement, Hurriyet Daily News reported (Hurriyet Daily News: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkiye-submits-mecca-pact-to-parliament-228378).
A Turkish official, speaking anonymously, said Turkey’s expected contribution was limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, with no other deployment so far. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the agreement was not an “offensive agreement” and that Turkey “would not send troops” to another country to carry out attacks, Reuters reported.
Hurriyet reported that a separate parliamentary authorisation would be needed for any Turkish troop deployment to Saudi Arabia after ratification. The move follows continued Houthi attacks: at an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month, the three agreed on the “rapid deployment” of forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. Al Arabiya reported the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks including attempts on Mecca and Medina, according to Saudi authorities (Al Arabiya: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/10/20/turkey-submits-mecca-defense-alliance-agreement-to-parliament-for-ratification).
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