Parliament Backs Trilateral Pact by 279 Votes to 119

Türkiye's parliament has ratified the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, completing a key legislative step for the trilateral security pact.

Lawmakers approved the bill on Thursday by 279 votes to 119, with 398 of the chamber's members taking part in the vote. The agreement, signed in Makkah on 7 August by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, treats an armed attack on any one signatory as an attack on all three.

What the Agreement Provides

The pact contains 16 articles and establishes a collective security framework covering defence cooperation, military coordination, intelligence sharing and defence industry cooperation. It binds the three countries for an initial period of 10 years, after which a member may withdraw.

The bill approved by parliament has three articles: one approving the 16-article agreement, one providing that it takes effect once published in the Official Gazette, and one assigning implementation to the president. Ratification by the president and publication in the Gazette are the remaining steps before the agreement enters into force.

Troop Deployments Need Separate Approval

Ratification does not automatically authorise Turkish troops to take part in military operations abroad. Any deployment of Turkish forces overseas would require a separate parliamentary mandate, and officials have said future troop movements would need that fresh approval.

During the debate, ruling party lawmakers said the agreement was intended to expand regional security cooperation, while opposition parties warned against entanglement in regional conflicts. The ratification comes as Riyadh continues to face attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, and the three countries agreed at an emergency meeting in Riyadh last month to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

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