Ankara, Nov 06 (V7N)- Türkiye's parliament has approved the Mecca Agreement on Joint Defence with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, paving the way for the trilateral security pact to take effect.
The agreement was approved on Thursday following debates among lawmakers from various political parties in the Grand National Assembly.
According to Anadolu Agency, 279 lawmakers voted in favour of the agreement, while 119 voted against it. A total of 398 of the parliament's 592 members took part in the ballot.
The approval followed the adoption of the bill's first article during a parliamentary session on Wednesday. The agreement itself contains 16 articles.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement at a trilateral summit in Mecca on August 7. Under its collective defence provision, an armed attack or military aggression against any one of the three countries would trigger a commitment by the other two to provide assistance.
The pact also provides for expanded military cooperation, intelligence sharing, joint training, logistical support and collaboration in the defence industry.
However, the agreement does not automatically authorise the deployment of Turkish troops abroad. Any such deployment would require separate parliamentary approval under Türkiye's domestic legal framework.
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