ANKARA — Turkey will submit a mandate to parliament authorizing the deployment of military personnel to Saudi Arabia under the joint defense pact it signed with Riyadh and Pakistan, a lawmaker from the ruling AK Party told Reuters on Wednesday.
The lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the mandate would be sent to parliament once a bill ratifying the accord is approved. Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement — signed by the three countries in August — to parliament for ratification on Tuesday, moving NATO’s second-largest army closer to a formal mutual-defense pledge with Riyadh as the kingdom faces Houthi attacks.
The lawmaker said no Turkish personnel deployed under the pact would take part in offensive operations. Technical personnel and experts would be sent initially to help with air defenses, electronic warfare technologies, and other defensive support.
Two other officials had told Reuters earlier that Turkey’s contribution to the alliance was expected to be limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing, and weapons systems — and that no deployment of any kind had taken place under the alliance so far.
Turkey, which has condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, has also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.
A pact taking shape
The Mecca pact is advancing through Turkey’s legislature this week. Presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran described the agreement as a step toward closer strategic coordination among the three governments aimed at strengthening “collective deterrence” in the region. Reporting on the process says parliament’s foreign affairs commission could begin debating the pact as early as Friday.
The Turkish move follows other military commitments to Riyadh. Britain announced this week that RAF Typhoon fighter jets would fly defensive patrols over Saudi Arabia, and Egypt’s parliament is weighing a vote on authorizing military support for the kingdom, delayed until October 26.
Sources: Reuters; Al Jazeera (via reporting on the ratification process)
