Türkiye's parliament passed the bill approving ratification of the Mecca defence agreement by 279 votes to 119. The pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia treats an armed attack on one party as an attack on all. Assistance requires consultation and agreement; parliamentary consent and the treaty's international entry into force follow separate procedures.
Türkiye's legislature approved ratification of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.[1], [2]
The electronic ballot recorded 279 votes in favour and 119 against, with 398 of the chamber's 592 members taking part. No abstentions, blank ballots or invalid votes were recorded. The three governments signed the agreement in Mecca on 7 August.[1]
An armed attack on any signatory counts as an attack on all under the agreement. The parties undertake to support one another within their constitutional obligations, national law and decisions by the competent authorities. Collective defence measures require consultation and an agreed decision. The text also provides for cooperation between the armed forces and deeper defence-industry ties. Its stated purpose includes protecting the parties' independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty.[1]
The bill reached the speaker's office on 21 October and cleared the Foreign Affairs Committee on 27 October. Türkiye's approval law takes effect on publication, while the treaty requires delivery of the final ratification instrument to its secretariat. Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü told the committee that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had completed domestic approval. The agreement is indefinite, with withdrawal permitted after ten years on at least three months' notice.[1]
