Türkiye moving to ratify Mecca defense pact: Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke following the cabinet meeting on late Oct. 12. (AA Photo)

Türkiye will soon complete the ratification process of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which establishes a trilateral alliance with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced.

“We are currently working to send the agreement to Parliament in the coming days so its domestic approval process can be finalized,” Erdoğan said in an address following the cabinet meeting on late Oct. 12.

Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the agreement on Aug. 7 and announced the establishment of the Mecca Pact through a joint agreement. Recent increased attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in
Yemen against Saudi Arabis have triggered questions whether Türkiye and Pakistan will provide military assistance to their allies.

Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the Houthis against the civilian airports which killed 12 people and stressed that it will continue to stand with Saudi Arabia.

Speaking of the defense alliance, Erdoğan said “We are pursuing our defense cooperation on two key fronts. First, we are focusing on collective defense and regional cooperation. Second, we are taking steps to provide this partnership with a lasting and effective institutional structure.”

He also recalled that Türkiye does not analyze the regional developments through an ethnic or sectarian lens, saying “We want the prevail of peace and stability in our region. We’ll continue to exert efforts to promote and protect peace on the basis of [the principle of] regional ownership.”

Despite continued conflicts and escalation stretching from Lebanon to Yemen and to Iran, particularly through the proxy forces, Türkiye remains an island of stability and trust in its region, the president noted.

“With a sense of regional ownership, we defend solving disputes through dialogue and diplomacy at the negotiating table, rather than on the battlefield. Our core principle is mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. We believe that division and fragmentation only benefit malevolent forces seeking to turn our region into a bloodbath,” Erdoğan added.