Turkey submits defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament, Reuters reports

Saudi Arabia has been facing attacks by Yemen's Houthis. Turkey has now submitted a defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to its parliament for ratification, according to Reuters, which cited three parliamentary sources. Al Jazeera also reported the submission without naming a separate source.

According to Al Jazeera, the Houthis have carried out missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, including on oil facilities and Riyadh's main airport. In the same period, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government has launched air attacks on Houthi positions.

What the pact contains

Al Jazeera, citing a document submitted to the Turkish parliament and seen by Reuters, reported that the pact was signed on 7 August and has 16 articles. Al Jazeera said it is also known as the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

Under Article 1, the signatories shall use "all necessary means" to eliminate threats to one another's territorial integrity. Under Article 2, if one party faces an armed attack, the others "shall immediately provide assistance to the party under attack, utilising the full range of mutual assistance measures available to them". Each signatory "will decide on the scope and nature of the support to be provided following an objective assessment of the assistance required".

Other articles reportedly cover defence industry cooperation, intelligence sharing, logistics, joint training and counterterrorism. A defence committee would include the foreign and defence ministers of all three states. New members could join only with the approval of all three founders. The pact would last 10 years, after which any country could withdraw.

According to Al Jazeera, the three countries agreed earlier in October to activate "deterrence measures" under the pact and to rapidly deploy forces to Saudi Arabia to counter Houthi attacks.

Next steps

The parliamentary speaker will refer the agreement to the foreign affairs commission, Al Jazeera reported. The commission could debate it as early as Friday, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.

What each side says

Burhanettin Duran, communications director of the Turkish presidency, said in a post on X: "This strategic partnership developed between our countries aims to strengthen collective deterrence, enhance joint capabilities in the defence sector, and safeguard security and stability in our region," according to Al Jazeera.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, referring to Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport: "As I often say, we are surrounded by a ring of fire. That is exactly the situation we face," Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar said ratification could take a long time, although the ruling coalition needs only a simple majority. He added that ratification alone would not lead to a Turkish troop deployment.

What remains unclear

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include the full text of the pact. They do not describe its ratification status in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, or what the "deterrence measures" involve. They do not say whether any forces have been deployed, and they include no reactions from Turkish opposition parties or the Houthis. Vocemundi reviewed only a summary of the Reuters report.

Analysis

If ratified, the pact would formalise defence ties between three significant regional militaries, at a time of reported Houthi strikes on Saudi territory. Its mutual-assistance clause is paired with language letting each country decide the scope of its support, which leaves room for differing interpretations. In Turkey, parliamentary debate could focus on how far the commitments extend. According to Al Jazeera's correspondent, any troop deployment would need separate legislative steps. Much depends on details not yet included in the reports, including the pact's status in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and what the agreed deterrence measures involve.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.