Turkish Parliament approves Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement

Ankara News: On November 5, local time, the plenary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly posted on social media that it had formally approved the "Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement."

According to news from Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera and other media, on August 7, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed signed the "Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement" with visiting Turkish President Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz in Mecca. According to a joint statement issued by the three parties on the same day, the agreement aims to strengthen joint deterrence against any acts of aggression. The agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all three countries.

The agreement was submitted for review in October, and the plenary session of Türkiye's Grand National Assembly finally approved the agreement with 279 votes in favor and 119 votes against. A total of 398 of the 592 members of Parliament participated in the vote.

According to "Middle East Monitor", Turkish Defense Minister Guler previously revealed that the specific scope of Türkiye's potential support to Saudi Arabia will be determined after the agreement is approved. He pointed out that the primary goal of any potential military support provided by Turkey to Saudi Arabia is to "enhance deterrence" and prevent the emergence of new tensions in the region, and contribute to security and stability.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia completed domestic approval of the agreement in October. (over)