ANKARA (The Thursday Times) — Türkiye’s parliament has approved the first article of the bill ratifying the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, moving the pact a step closer to coming into force.
Lawmakers adopted the article early on Thursday after finishing debate on the bill as a whole. Deputy Speaker Celal Adan then adjourned the session until Thursday afternoon, when voting on the remaining articles was due to continue. No final passage had been reported when this story was published.
The agreement takes effect once all parties have completed ratification. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have completed their domestic procedures, and the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bill on October 27.
The ruling AK Party and its ally the MHP back the pact, and so does the main opposition CHP. Its parliamentary group chair, Faik Öztrak, said it offered Türkiye a chance to build a new regional security structure outside NATO. Hulusi Akar, a former defence minister, said it was “in no way an alternative to NATO”, and that any deployment of troops abroad would need parliament’s approval.
Fuat Oktay, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said an attack would trigger consultations under the pact, with decisions taken by consensus. Some opposition parties, including DEM and the IYI Party, warned about unclear military obligations and the risk of being drawn into regional conflicts.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the agreement in Makkah on August 7. Under it, an armed attack on one is treated as an attack on all. Syria has said it is considering joining.
