Turkey’s parliament has approved a joint defense agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a step that brings the three countries closer to a formal defense pact. The agreement is not yet in force, and it does not commit any of the three to an automatic military response if one of them is attacked.
Lawmakers in the Grand National Assembly passed the ratification bill on Thursday, November 5. Of 398 votes cast, 279 were in favor and 119 were against, with no abstentions, according to the parliamentary record of the vote.
The agreement is called the Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense. It has 16 articles and was signed in Mecca on August 7, 2026, by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan. It extends an earlier defense agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed on September 17, 2025.
Under Article 2 of the pact, an external armed attack on one party is treated as an attack on all three, and prompt assistance is required. But the form of that assistance, including any military contribution, is to be agreed by the parties, and a memorandum from the Turkish presidency rules out an automatic response. Sending Turkish troops abroad would still need a separate vote in parliament.
The pact is not in force yet. As of November 6, Turkey’s approval law had not appeared in the Official Gazette, and Turkey’s instrument of ratification had not been documented as deposited. Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have already completed their ratification processes. The spokesperson called the pact defensive in nature and consistent with the UN Charter.
Beyond mutual assistance, the agreement covers intelligence sharing, joint exercises and training, logistical support, cooperation against terrorism, and work together in the defense industry, including technology and production.
The full 16-article text has been made public in Turkey. Pakistan has not released the text.
Once the pact enters into force, no party may withdraw from it during the first 10 years. Its secretariat will be based in Saudi Arabia.
