(Web Desk) – Turkiye’s parliament has ratified the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
According to Turkish media reports, 279 members of the 600-seat Turkish parliament voted in favour of the agreement, while 119 opposed it. A total of 398 lawmakers participated in the voting.
Following approval by Turkish lawmakers, the agreement will come into force. Under its provisions, an attack on any one of the three parties will be considered an attack on all.
The chairman of the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said the alliance was purely defensive in nature and was not aimed at launching an attack against any other country.
Ziya Altunyaldiz, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said the agreement aimed to promote security cooperation in the region.
Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed the agreement in Makkah on August 7. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the signing ceremony.
The agreement expressed a commitment to strengthening collective security, promoting defence cooperation and contributing to peace and stability in the region and around the world.
Under the Mecca Defence Agreement, the alliance's secretariat will be established in Saudi Arabia. Retired Pakistani General Nauman Mahmood has been selected as its first secretary-general.