Türkiye's Parliament Ratifies Mecca Defence Pact With Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

Türkiye's parliament has ratified a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Al Jazeera reported on 6 November 2026. The vote was 279 in favour and 119 against. Of the 592 members of the Turkish parliament, 398 took part.

The agreement is called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, and it was signed at Makkah on 7 August 2026. Ratification is the formal approval a country's lawmakers give to an international treaty. Türkiye's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said in October that the agreement would be sent to parliament for ratification.

The pact runs to 16 articles. Its first article says the signatories shall use "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity, meaning the protection of each country's borders and sovereignty. Its second article says that if a party is subjected to armed attack or military aggression, the others must immediately provide assistance using the full range of mutual assistance measures. This kind of commitment is known as a collective defence clause, under which members agree to come to each other's aid if one is attacked.

Under the draft approved by Turkish lawmakers, member countries are committed to the pact for 10 years, after which they may withdraw. The pact also allows other countries to join with the approval of existing members. Syria's government has expressed interest in joining.

Reuters reported that ratification gives Ankara a formal mutual defence obligation toward Saudi Arabia but does not on its own send Turkish forces there. In October, Reuters reported that Türkiye planned to submit a mandate to parliament that would allow Turkish military personnel to be deployed to Saudi Arabia under the pact. Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said in October that the scope of potential support for Saudi Arabia would be determined after ratification. He also said Türkiye does not foresee entering into any conflict with the Houthis, the armed movement in Yemen, and that support for Saudi Arabia would be aimed at strengthening deterrence.

Al Jazeera reported that the parliamentary approval lays the groundwork for further Turkish involvement in Saudi Arabia's conflict with the Houthis. The pact had already cleared a stage of the process before the full vote. Turkish media reported in late October that the parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee had approved it, and the ratification bill contained three articles.

The pact's future shape has also been discussed in public. In September, Turkey's parliamentary speaker said the defence pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could expand into a broader pact for the Muslim world that includes Iran.