Turkiye Takes First Step to Ratify Makkah Defence Pact

The Turkish parliament has adopted the first article of a bill ratifying the Makkah defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, moving the trilateral agreement a step closer to coming into force. Lawmakers approved the article after finishing debate on the bill as a whole, Tribune reported.

The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. The first article of the agreement says the parties shall use “all necessary means” to remove threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders.

After the vote, Deputy Parliament Speaker Celal Adan suspended the session. He then adjourned proceedings until Thursday afternoon, when voting on the remaining articles was due to continue. No final passage of the bill had been reported by the time the reports were published.

The bill before parliament has three articles. The first formally approves ratification of the 16-article agreement. The second says the law will enter into force once it is published in the Official Gazette. The third assigns responsibility for carrying it out to the president.

Makkah defence pact: what ratification still needs

Approval of the first article does not complete ratification. Lawmakers must still vote on the remaining articles, and the agreement itself takes effect only once all three countries have finished their domestic procedures.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have already completed theirs. Turkiye’s parliament sent the pact to its Foreign Affairs Committee, which approved the bill on October 27, after the government submitted it on October 20.

Even after ratification, Turkiye’s constitution requires separate permission from parliament before troops can be sent abroad, whatever an international agreement says. That means ratification creates a formal mutual defence duty, but it does not by itself deploy Turkish forces anywhere.

The debate in Ankara also carried a warning about the wider risks. Hulusi Akar, chairman of parliament’s National Defence Commission and a former chief of the general staff, told lawmakers that the threat of a third world war is becoming increasingly real.

Officials have said Turkiye’s part in the pact is expected to stay limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems. A lawmaker from the ruling party said Turkiye would also put a mandate for deploying military personnel to Saudi Arabia before parliament, but the scope of any support would be decided jointly.

Pact signed in Makkah in August

Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the agreement at a trilateral summit in Makkah on August 7, pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defence cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond. It followed nearly a year of talks.

The pact is the latest step in long-standing military links between the three countries. Pakistan has trained and assisted Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara have kept close defence ties through training, naval cooperation and equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to buy Turkish drones in what Ankara called its largest defence export contract.

The vote comes as the region stays tense. The Houthis have denied targeting the Madina region after a Saudi claim, and Saudi strikes have hit Houthi resources in Yemen. The United States and Israel have also drawn up strike plans on Iran after the American midterm elections.

Pakistan has been moving on parallel defence agreements of its own. The federal cabinet ratified a defence cooperation agreement with Kuwait this week, alongside new currency designs and the transfer of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s powers to the governor.

What did the Turkish parliament approve?

It approved the first article of a three-article bill that ratifies the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The article says the parties will use all necessary means against threats to one another’s sovereignty and borders.

When was the pact signed?

The three countries signed the agreement at a trilateral summit in Makkah on August 7, 2026. It followed nearly a year of negotiations.

Has the pact been ratified?

Not yet. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have completed their domestic procedures, and Turkiye’s parliament still has to vote on the remaining articles. The agreement takes effect once all three have finished ratification.

Does ratification send Turkish troops abroad?

No. Under Turkiye’s constitution, deploying troops abroad needs separate permission from parliament, whatever an international agreement says. A mandate for any deployment would have to go before parliament on its own.