Turkey has submitted a defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources said on Tuesday, moving NATO’s second-largest army closer to a formal mutual defence pledge with Riyadh as it faces Houthi attacks.
The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. A joint statement issued when they signed the deal did not specify what each country had committed to.
At an emergency meeting of the alliance in Riyadh earlier this month, they agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, which has a robust defence industry, has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressed willingness to help meet Riyadh’s military technology needs and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.
Parliamentary ratification is required for Turkey to formally approve the agreement.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, currently visiting Kyrgyzstan, will refer the agreement to parliament’s foreign affairs commission upon his return, two of the sources said. The contents and details of the agreement are expected to become public once it is submitted to the commission.
The commission could debate the agreement as early as Friday, another source said.
A Turkish official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Turkey’s own contribution was expected to belimited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, adding that no other form of deployment had taken place under the alliance so far.
Asked how Turkey could help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the Mecca Agreement was not an “offensive agreement,” adding that Turkey would not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory.