Turkey: Parliament Set to Ratify Defence Pact With Saudi Arabia and Pakistan That Includes a Collective Defence Clause
Turkey's parliament is set to ratify a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that includes a collective defence clause, committing NATO's second-largest army to Riyadh's defence as it faces attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis. Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by the three countries in August, to parliament for ratification last month, with the vote scheduled for November 4.
Ratification gives Ankara a formal mutual defence obligation toward Saudi Arabia, but it does not on its own send Turkish forces there: deploying military personnel would require a separate mandate from parliament. Officials told Reuters last month that Turkey's contribution to Saudi Arabia was expected to be limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems. Defence Minister Yasar Guler has said Turkey did not see its troops engaging in combat or offensive operations against the Houthis.
The pact was signed before the Houthis launched their latest attacks against Saudi Arabia. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran and Washington remain far from a deal to end their war, with the Houthis stepping up attacks on Riyadh.
Source: 土耳其大国民议会
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：土耳其大国民议会会场（资料图），Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu／美国之音 摄，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域 / Photo: Inside the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (file photo), by Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu (VOA), Wikimedia Commons, public domain
