Turkey sends defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament
Three parliamentary sources said Turkey had submitted a mutual defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for ratification, with a committee debate possible as early as Friday.
Ankara, Turkey. Turkey has sent a defence agreement signed with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources said on Tuesday. The move brings Turkey, whose army is NATO’s second largest, nearer to a formal commitment to mutual defence with Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks.
Parliamentary review
Turkey needs parliamentary ratification to formally approve the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which the three countries signed in August.
Two of the sources said Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus would send the pact to the parliamentary foreign affairs commission after returning from his current visit to Kyrgyzstan. Its provisions and details are expected to be made public following that referral.
A separate source said the commission might begin discussing the agreement as early as Friday.
Mutual defence commitments
The pact treats an armed attack against any member as an attack against all three. However, the joint statement released at the signing did not set out the individual commitments made by the countries.
During an emergency alliance meeting held in Riyadh earlier this month, the members agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of forces and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
A Turkish official speaking anonymously said Turkey’s contribution was expected to consist only of military equipment, shared intelligence and weapons systems. The official added that the alliance had not undertaken any other form of deployment so far.
Turkey’s position on military support
Turkey has a substantial defence industry and has denounced Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia. It has also indicated its readiness to help address Riyadh’s military technology requirements and agreed to participate in a Saudi-led coalition aimed at safeguarding navigation through the Red Sea.
Responding to a question about how Turkey could assist Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the Mecca Agreement as not being an “offensive agreement”. He said Turkey would not deploy troops to another country to conduct attacks within that country’s territory.
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