Turkey ratifies trilateral security accord with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
The Turkish parliament on Thursday approved a bill ratifying the Makkah Agreement on Joint Defence with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, paving the way for the trilateral security pact to come into force. Lawmakers endorsed the measure by 279 votes to 119, with 398 of the chamber’s 592 members taking part in the ballot. The measure, formally titled the Bill on the Approval of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between the Republic of Turkiye, Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, passed after a lengthy debate among parties. During the debate, ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker Ziya Altunyaldiz stressed that the agreement aims to expand security cooperation in the region. He emphasised that it contains no approach against any third country and that its main goal is to prevent conflicts rather than escalate them. Opposition speakers raised reservations about the pact’s scope and oversight. Mehmet Guzelmansur of the Republican People’s Party said clear rules are needed so the agreement does not contradict Turkiye’s other international obligations. Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement at a trilateral summit in Makkah on Aug 7, pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defence cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond. The pact provides a framework for collective assistance in the event of external armed aggression against any of the three countries, with the nature and extent of assistance to be determined collectively in light of the circumstances. Last month, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had completed the ratification of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, as the three participating countries progressed on the implementation of the pact amid escalating tensions over attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement. “Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have already completed their ratification processes, while Turkiye is undertaking the requisite procedures in accordance with its domestic legal framework,” Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan had said at the ministry’s weekly media briefing. The pact moved towards implementation after an Oct 5 meeting of the alliance’s Strategic, Political and Defence Committee in Riyadh called for the immediate implementation of collective defence commitments and the rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia of military forces and capabilities already agreed upon, subject to the national legislation of the parties.
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Turkey's parliament has ratified a major trilateral security treaty with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, clearing the final legislative hurdle needed to bring the mutual defence treaty into effect.
The Grand National Assembly voted 279 to 119 in favor of the measure on Thursday, with 398 out of 592 sitting lawmakers participating in the vote. The legislation formally sanctions the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between the three nations following extensive deliberations on the assembly floor.
The treaty establishes a formal mechanism for mutual support should any of the three signatory states face armed aggression from abroad. The precise type and scale of assistance provided will be decided jointly by the member nations based on the specific conditions of any crisis.
Initial terms of the alliance were signed on August 7 during a trilateral gathering held in Makkah. Representatives from Ankara, Islamabad, and Riyadh pledged at the summit to broaden security coordination, deepen military links, and support stability across the wider region.
During the parliamentary debate, Justice and Development Party legislator Ziya Altunyaldiz argued that the treaty is designed to boost regional security rather than target outside powers. Altunyaldiz stated that the core intention of the pact is conflict prevention rather than escalation.
Conversely, opposition legislators voiced worries regarding parliamentary scrutiny and the broader reach of the accord. Republican People's Party lawmaker Mehmet Guzelmansur warned that explicit guidelines were necessary to ensure the agreement does not clash with Turkey's standing international treaties and obligations.
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had previously completed their domestic ratification steps, as confirmed last month by Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan. Khan noted during a press briefing that Islamabad and Riyadh were awaiting Turkey's completion of its domestic legislative process.
Movement toward putting the pact into operation accelerated following an October 5 session of the alliance's Strategic, Political and Defence Committee in the Saudi capital. That meeting resulted in calls for the swift enactment of joint defence obligations and the prompt dispatch to Saudi Arabia of previously agreed military assets and personnel, compliant with each country's domestic legal statutes. The developments come amid heightened regional tensions fueled by strikes on Saudi territory carried out by the Ansar Allah movement based in Yemen.
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VerifiedReported from Dawn (Pakistan).
Picture credits
- "Grand National Assembly of Turkey" by VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Grand National Assembly of Turkey MPs" by Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu (VOA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi 23 June 2015" by Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu & Ümit Bektaş, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "TBMM, August 2022" by Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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