Türkiye’s parliament has ratified a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, strengthening military cooperation between the three countries amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Following two days of debate, lawmakers approved the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Thursday, with 279 voting in favour and 119 against.
Signed in August by the leaders of the three countries, the pact establishes a collective defence mechanism under which an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three.
The agreement also calls for closer military cooperation, intelligence sharing, joint exercises and defence industry collaboration.
The parliamentary vote comes as Saudi Arabia faces renewed missile and drone attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Saudi Arabia has also continued intensive airstrikes against Houthi positions across Yemen, including a strike on Thursday in the capital, Sanaa, that reportedly killed seven people.
Despite clearing a major legislative hurdle, the agreement does not automatically authorise Türkiye to deploy troops overseas.
Any deployment of Turkish military personnel to Saudi Arabia, for example, would require separate parliamentary approval.
Fuat Oktay, chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, recently said Türkiye would “not be drawn into an uncontrolled process against its will,” emphasising that any future troop deployment would require parliament’s explicit approval.
Opposition lawmaker Murat Emir warned that the agreement could draw Türkiye into the conflict in Yemen, citing the losses suffered by Ottoman soldiers during earlier military campaigns there.
Turkish officials have repeatedly emphasised that the Mecca agreement is defensive and does not provide for Turkish participation in offensive operations against the Houthis.
The trilateral pact also establishes a strategic political and defence committee to coordinate joint activities, with its secretariat based in Saudi Arabia.
The agreement will remain in effect for at least 10 years, with other countries permitted to join if all three founding members agree.
Türkiye’s defence ties with Pakistan date back decades, while relations with Saudi Arabia have improved significantly after years of diplomatic friction.
The pact also reflects Riyadh’s efforts to diversify its security partnerships beyond its longstanding reliance on the U.S.
The vote comes amid growing fears that renewed fighting involving Iran could trigger a wider conflict across the Middle East.
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