Ankara (TDI): Turkiye has submitted the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, bringing the country closer to formally joining a trilateral mutual defence commitment amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.
Three parliamentary sources said on Tuesday that the agreement would be referred to parliament’s foreign affairs commission after Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş returns from a visit to Kyrgyzstan. The commission could begin debating the pact as early as Friday, Reuters reported.
Signed in August, the agreement stipulates that an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three. Its provisions require the parties to use “all necessary means” to address threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders.
The arrangement resembles NATO’s Article 5 collective-defence provision and invokes Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises the individual and collective right of states to self-defence against armed attacks.
According to the agreement’s text, members are required to provide immediate assistance if one party faces an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, drawing on the full range of available mutual-assistance measures.
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The pact will enter into force after the ratification documents are deposited with the secretariat in Riyadh. It is intended to remain valid indefinitely, while the parties cannot withdraw during its first 10 years, the report added.
Unlike Pakistan, Turkiye requires parliamentary ratification to formally approve the agreement. Its constitution also requires separate parliamentary authorisation for deploying troops abroad, regardless of the existence of an international defence arrangement.
Türkiye’s move comes as the three countries seek to strengthen defence coordination in response to growing regional security concerns. At an emergency meeting of the alliance in Riyadh earlier this month, members agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
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However, the precise extent of Turkiye’s military role remains limited, according to a Turkish official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said Ankara’s expected contribution would focus on military equipment, intelligence-sharing and weapons systems, adding that no other form of deployment had taken place under the alliance so far.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the Makkah agreement as defensive rather than offensive. Responding to questions about how Turkiye could help Saudi Arabia counter attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, Fidan said Ankara would not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director, Burhanettin Duran, welcomed the latest development, describing it as an important milestone in institutionalising strategic cooperation among the three countries.
In a post on X, Duran said the partnership was intended to strengthen collective deterrence, improve joint defence capabilities and safeguard regional security and stability.
