29.10.2026 18:00
The bill on the approval of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was accepted in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. According to the agreement, an armed attack against one of the parties shall be considered an attack against all parties. The bill will be discussed in the General Assembly.
The joint defense agreement between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia passed the first stage in Parliament. In the commission convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Ankara MP Fuat Oktay, the scope of the agreement and the obligations it will bring to Türkiye were discussed.
SIGNED IN MECCA ON AUGUST 7
The agreement was signed on August 7 in Mecca by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The bill was submitted to the Speaker’s Office of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye on October 20 and referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee on October 21. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan completed their domestic approval processes for the agreement.
AN ATTACK ON ONE WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ATTACK ON ALL
According to Article 2 of the 16-article agreement, an armed attack on one of the parties will be considered an attack on all parties. The parties will assist the attacked country with all available means, including military capabilities. The agreement also envisages cooperation in defense industry, intelligence sharing, logistics support and counterterrorism.
The “Strategic Political and Defense Committee,” consisting of foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff, will meet twice a year. The committee’s secretariat will be in Saudi Arabia, and the first secretary-general will be a Pakistani citizen. The parties will not be able to withdraw from the agreement for the first 10 years.
“COMPLETELY DEFENSE-ORIENTED”
Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü, who introduced the agreement in the commission, said the agreement is “completely defense-oriented” and does not target any country. Gümrükçü stated that the agreement is open to regional countries that respect international law. He emphasized that the agreement complements Türkiye’s multilateral structures, especially NATO, and does not replace Türkiye’s other alliance obligations.
OKTAY: NOT A BLOC FORMATION AGAINST THIRD COUNTRIES
Commission Chairman Fuat Oktay said the agreement is not “an alliance of attack, expansionism or bloc formation against third countries.” Oktay stated that the structure is based on three main headings: joint defense, counterterrorism and developing domestic capabilities in the defense industry. He noted that admitting new members to the alliance is subject to the approval of core parties, including Türkiye.
Oktay stated that the joint defense provisions will not automatically take effect and that every step is subject to the parties’ constitutional and national procedures. Regarding the 10-year period in the agreement, he recalled that the NATO Treaty also has a review after 10 years and a withdrawal option after 20 years.
NOW THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The bill accepted in the commission must also be accepted in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in order to become law. The agreement will enter into force when the final approval document is submitted to the committee secretariat.