At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Levent Gümrükçü answered the questions of the members of parliament regarding the Agreement.
Later, in the vote held in the Commission, the Bill on the Approval of the Mecca Agreement for Common Defense between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was accepted.
"HOPE THIS WILL BE A NEW AND STRONG START IN RESULTING STABILITY IN OUR REGION"
Fuat Oktay, Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Foreign Affairs Commission and AK Party Ankara Deputy, said, regarding the bill that approved the approval of the Mecca Agreement accepted by the Commission, "All political groups expressed their opinions very easily, it was discussed and ultimately it was accepted by majority vote. Good luck. I hope it will be a new and strong start in terms of restoring stability in our region." he said.
Oktay answered journalists' questions after the Bill on the Approval of the Mecca Agreement for Common Defense between the Republic of Turkey, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was accepted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Commission.
Oktay said that the commission meetings were extremely productive and that everyone expressed their opinions, both pro and con, and that the representatives of the Ministries and relevant institutions answered all questions very clearly.
Oktay said: "It was a good evaluation. 'Is an alternative to NATO being created?' They had questions. Never. An agreement that will not harm the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the 3 countries and all agreements made to date. It is an agreement that will not create any difference in terms of legal, sovereignty, foreign and defense policies, and will not disrupt the integrity of Türkiye in terms of foreign policy. All political groups expressed their opinions very easily, they were discussed, questions were answered and ultimately they were accepted by majority vote. Good luck. I hope it will be a new and strong start in restoring stability in our region. The aim here is deterrence, not attack. We hope that there will be an agreement that will lead to peace and prosperity in the region. The application also proceeds in this direction. "All our desire is in this direction."
"An ATTACK ON ONE WILL BE CONSIDERED AS AN ATTACK ON ALL"
The historic 16-article 'Mecca Agreement' signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia imposes a joint defense obligation on the basis of sovereignty and territorial integrity, considering an attack on one of them as an attack on all of them.
According to Article 2, one of the most critical articles of the agreement; An external armed attack or military aggression against any of the parties will be considered an attack against all parties.
In accordance with the article shaped within the framework of the "right to self-defense" in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter; Immediate support will be provided to the attacked country using all available mutual assistance opportunities, including military means and capabilities.
JOINT PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY
In addition to military partnership, the agreement stipulates deep cooperation in the field of defense industry. Within the scope of the determined framework, the parties will: Carry out joint production in the field of defense, Carry out joint R&D and innovation projects in areas requiring advanced technology, Train human resources through expert personnel on the territory of the Parties and support the military industry, Establish a comprehensive logistics support mechanism including the supply of ammunition, weapons, fuel and spare parts in peace, war and states of emergency.
SECRETARIAT AND "STRATEGIC POLITICAL AND DEFENSE COMMITTEE"
In order to create the institutional backbone of the alliance, a "Strategic Political and Defense Committee" consisting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Defense and Chiefs of General Staff will be established. The committee will meet at least twice a year with rotating hosting; Leaders will be able to meet once a year if deemed necessary. Saudi Arabia will host the permanent secretariat to be established within the scope of the agreement. The Secretariat will be headed by a rotating Secretary General for a period of 3 years, and the first Secretary General will be a Pakistani citizen. The participation of new countries in the alliance will only be possible with the consensus of the "Core Parties".
INTELLIGENCE SHARING THROUGH SECURE CHANNELS
Articles 9 and 13 of the agreement regulate cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism and intelligence. The parties will share information and intelligence through agreed upon secure channels. The confidential documents obtained will be protected on a "need to know" principle and will not be shared with third countries or companies.
INDEFINITE VALIDITY AND 10-YEAR COMMITMENT
The agreement will enter into force after the ratification documents are deposited with the secretariat and will remain valid indefinitely. According to the text, the parties cannot leave the agreement for the first 10 years following its entry into force. After 10 years, the right to withdraw can be exercised by giving at least 3 months' written notice.
The text was prepared in three original copies in Turkish, Arabic and English, and it was noted that the English text would be taken as basis in case of possible differences in interpretation.
