By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Türkiye's parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee approved the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on October 27, with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) joining the governing parties in support despite objections raised by its own lawmakers.
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and CHP voted in favor. Yeni Parti, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and İYİ Party opposed the bill, while Yeni Yol lawmakers also questioned its terms. The agreement now requires approval from the full Turkish Grand National Assembly.
CHP Backs the Pact but Challenges Its Terms
CHP lawmaker Oğuz Kaan Salıcı questioned the need for another collective-defense commitment alongside Türkiye's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership. He raised concerns over the ten-year withdrawal restriction and criticized the absence of a review by parliament's National Defense Committee.
Committee chair Fuat Oktay confirmed that the defense panel had been asked to examine the treaty but had replied that it would not prepare a report.
Another CHP lawmaker, Mehmet Güzelmansur, sought clarification on the circumstances in which mutual-defense obligations would apply, the scope of military and intelligence assistance, and how decisions would be made. He also questioned the secretariat's budget and oversight arrangements, asking what safeguards would protect Türkiye's independent decision-making.
Yeni Yol lawmaker Hasan Karal requested a comparative assessment of the three countries' military capabilities and the obligations each would assume. İYİ Party's Metin Ergun asked which security gaps the agreement would address and warned that differing interpretations of its obligations could involve Türkiye in regional conflicts.
Yeni Parti lawmaker Utku Çakırözer argued that Türkiye should not become a party to another country's war. He also questioned the work of alliance bodies before parliamentary ratification. DEM Party lawmaker Semra Çağlar Gökalp opposed the agreement on the grounds that new military commitments could deepen regional divisions without sufficient democratic oversight.
Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü responded that the meetings and preparations undertaken so far were consultative and had created no legal, financial or personnel obligations for Türkiye.
Military Assistance and the Ten-Year Rule
Signed in Mecca on August 7, the 16-article treaty treats an external armed attack on one signatory as an attack on all three. Its mutual-defense provisions provide for assistance under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, with the form and scale of support determined through consultations and national procedures.
Gümrükçü told lawmakers that any request for collective defense would require an assessment of the threat and agreement among the three governments. No decision could be taken without consensus. He also said the treaty did not replace Türkiye's existing international commitments and was intended to complement NATO.
The pact has no fixed expiry date. Members cannot withdraw during its first ten years in force and must provide at least three months' written notice thereafter. It also covers joint exercises, intelligence sharing, defense production and a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia.
The scope of military assistance remains contentious. The armed-attack provision refers to an attack by another country or group of countries, leaving its application to attacks by Yemen's Houthis unresolved.
MHP lawmaker İsmail Özdemir argued that attacks on Islamic holy sites should be opposed regardless of whether they came from Israel, the Houthis or another actor. His remarks expressed a political position; they did not alter the treaty's provisions.
No Turkish Deployment Announced
During the hearing, DEM Party lawmaker Ceylan Akça Cupolo asked whether Türkiye would enter the Yemen war on Saudi Arabia's side. Gümrükçü replied that no such operation or troop deployment was planned under the agreement at this stage.
Sending Turkish forces abroad would require separate parliamentary authorization under Article 92 of the Constitution.
Reuters reported on October 21, citing an unnamed AK Party lawmaker, that a deployment mandate was planned after ratification, initially for personnel supporting Saudi air defenses and electronic warfare. The lawmaker described a defensive mission without participation in offensive operations.
Gümrükçü's subsequent statement addressed current deployment plans. The government's position on a future mandate has not been formally announced. An earlier examination of the parliamentary process detailed the separate legal requirements for treaty ratification and sending military personnel abroad.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have completed their domestic approval procedures and notified Türkiye, Gümrükçü told the committee. No date has been confirmed for the Turkish plenary vote. The agreement will enter into force once the final ratification instrument is deposited with the alliance secretariat.
Sources: Turkish Grand National Assembly, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, Euronews, Deutsche Welle, Bosphorus News review and reporting.