Mecca defense pact to go before Turkish parliament

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler attended a meeting of the “Strategic Political and Defense Committee,” established under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AA photo)

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is expected to be submitted to the Turkish parliament for approval, following the allies’ decision to arrange military support for Saudi Arabia.

The pact was signed on Aug. 7.

Parliamentary approval would allow Türkiye to proceed with formal ratification.

The parliamentary step follows an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee in Riyadh on Oct. 5.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu attended alongside their Saudi and Pakistani counterparts.

The three countries agreed to take measures to provide military forces and capabilities for rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia, subject to agreed arrangements and each country’s national laws.

The joint statement did not specify troop numbers, the equipment involved or a deployment timetable.

The allies also condemned attempts to target Mecca and Medina, along with continuing attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic facilities.

They reaffirmed their commitment to defending the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.

Speaking after the meeting, Fidan said work to establish the alliance’s institutional structure had reached its final stage.

“A great deal of work has gone into institutionalizing the Mecca Defense Alliance agreement. We have now reached the end of that work,” he said.

The committee appointed retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary-general for a three-year term. At an earlier meeting in Istanbul on Aug. 31, the three countries had agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia and develop cooperation in defense technology and joint production.

Fidan said the Riyadh talks also examined ways to resolve tensions between Yemen and Saudi Arabia peacefully through dialogue, describing Riyadh’s approach as constructive.