Türkiye submits Mecca defense pact to parliament for ratification

The Turkish government has submitted the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to parliament for ratification on Tuesday, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

The agreement will first be reviewed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye before being presented to the General Assembly, Hurriyet Daily News, an English-language daily in Türkiye, reported.

The full text of the agreement, disclosed on the same day by the London-based news portal Middle East Eye, does not identify any specific country or region as a threat. It emphasizes mutual support among all parties if the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or internationally recognized borders of any party are threatened or endangered.

The agreement has no fixed end date. Any party may withdraw only after ten years have elapsed from its entry into force, provided it gives the other parties written notice through diplomatic channels at least three months in advance.

Burhanettin Duran, director of the Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate, said on the social media platform X that the submission marks an important stage in the institutionalization of strategic cooperation among the "three brotherly countries."

On Aug. 7, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca. Under the agreement, an armed attack on any signatory is to be considered an attack on all.