Turkey sends Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to parliament for ratification
Ankara is weighing military assistance to Riyadh as Houthi attacks intensify, though any Turkish deployment is expected to be limited.
ANKARA — Turkey submitted the Mecca defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to parliament for ratification on Tuesday, a step toward potentially deploying troops to the kingdom amid ongoing attacks by Iran-backed Houthis.
Details: The agreement was submitted to parliament early Tuesday, according to Turkish state broadcaster TRT.
The agreement will first be debated and voted on by the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. If approved, it will proceed to a full parliamentary vote on ratification.
As of this writing, the committee had not set a date for the debate, leaving it unclear when the agreement might come up for a full parliamentary vote.
The deal is expected to win approval in both the committee and the General Assembly, where Erdogan’s ruling alliance holds a majority.
The submission comes as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensify. The Iran-backed group carried out its deadliest attack on the kingdom on Oct. 10, when a strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Background: On Aug. 7, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed an agreement under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.
The escalation in Houthi attacks since early October has renewed attention to the agreement and prompted the three countries to step up efforts to implement it.
Following emergency talks in Riyadh on Oct. 5, the three countries’ foreign and defense ministers, along with their military chiefs, agreed “to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom.”
Why it matters: Ratification would pave the way for Turkey to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthis.
Still, any Turkish deployment is likely to be limited to training, advisory services and military equipment support rather than a large troop contingent, according to Turkish officials who briefed Al-Monitor in recent weeks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Oct. 8 that Turkey’s support would be defensive, in line with the agreement. “Turkey will not send troops to another country’s territory to carry out an attack there,” he said, referring to Yemen.
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