Türkiye has submitted a defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources said yesterday, moving Nato’s second-largest army closer to a formal mutual defence pledge with Riyadh as it faces Houthi attacks.
The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The agreement’s first article says the parties shall use ‘all necessary means’ to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.
“In the event one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, the parties shall immediately provide assistance to the party under attack, utilising the full range of mutual assistance measures available to them,” Article 2 of the agreement says.
The provision, similar to Nato’s Article 5, refers to Article 51 of the UN Charter, which covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attack.
The three countries ‘will decide on the scope and nature of the support to be provided following an objective assessment of the assistance required’ and will co-operate within their available resources, including military capabilities and resources, the same article says.
At an emergency meeting of the alliance in Riyadh earlier this month, the three countries agreed to ensure the ‘rapid deployment’ of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Türkiye, which has a robust defence industry, has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressed willingness to help meet Riyadh’s military technology needs and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.
The agreement also envisages close co-operation on defence industry, intelligence sharing, logistical support and the fight against “all means of terrorism,” including at the operational level.
Parliamentary ratification is required for Türkiye, to formally approve the agreement.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, currently visiting Kyrgyzstan, will refer the agreement to parliament’s foreign affairs commission upon his return, two of the sources said. The contents and details of the agreement are expected to become public once it is submitted to the commission.
The commission could debate the agreement as early as Friday, another source said.
President Receo Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director, Burhanettin Duran, said that Türkiye’s recent step marked an important milestone towards the institutionalisation of strategic co-operation between the three nations.
l Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed mediation efforts and regional developments during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran, Iran’s Nournews reported yesterday.
Pakistan is a key mediator between the US and Iran. Its earlier mediation efforts with both parties resulted in an interim peace agreement signed in June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US weeks after.
l Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Riyadh.
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