ANKARA(National Times)- Turkiye has submitted the Makkah defence pact to parliament for ratification, moving Nato’s second-largest army closer to a formal mutual defence pledge with Riyadh as it continues to face Houthi attacks.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

The provision, similar to Nato’s Article 5, refers to Article 51 of the UN Charter, which covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attacks.

All three members have agreed to use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, as per the text seen by Reuters.

The agreement will enter into force upon the deposit of the ratification documents with the secretariat in Riyadh, and will remain valid indefinitely. The parties may not withdraw from the agreement for the first 10 years.

While Pakistan has made it clear that ‘collective deterrence measures’ under the trilateral defence agreement are “already in play”, Ankara still requires formal parliamentary ratification for the agreement. According to official sources, Pakistan follows an executive-led treaty-making system, where the federal government’s ratification is enough for subjects in the federal legislative list.

According to Article 90 of the Constitution, “the executive authority of the Federation shall be exercised in the name of the President by the Federal Government, consisting of the Prime Minister and the Federal Ministers, which shall act through the Prime Minister, who shall be the chief executive of the Federation.”

However, under Tur­kiye’s constitution, separate permission from parliament is required to deploy troops abroad, regardless of any international agreement.

According to the Reuters news agency, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtu­lmus, currently visiting Kyrgyzstan, is expected to refer the agreement to parliament’s foreign affairs commission upon his ret­urn, which could debate the agreement as early as Friday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director, Burha­nettin Dur­an, said that Turk­iye’s re­cent step marked an important mile­stone towards the institutionalisation of strategic cooperation between the three nations.

“This strategic partnership developed between our countries aims to stre­ngthen collective deterrence, enhance joint capabilities in the defence sector, and safeguard security and stability in our region,” Duran said in a post on X.

A Turkish official, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said Turkiye’s own contribution was expected to be limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, adding that no other form of deployment had taken place under the alliance so far.

Asked how Turkiye could help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the Makkah Agree­ment was not an “offensive agreement,” adding that Turkiye would not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory.

Although not part of the Makkah alliance, Egypt’s parliament is also expe­cted to vote on authorising pote­ntial military support for Saudi Arabia on Oct 26.

Ahead of its submission for parliamentary appr­oval, the contents of the agreement were published in full for the first time by Turkish state broadcaster, TRT Haber.

Turkiye, which has a rob­ust defence industry, has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressed willingness to help meet Riyadh’s military technology needs and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.

The agreement also envisages close cooperation on defence industry, intelligence sharing, logistical support and the fight against “all means of terrorism,” including at the operational level.

Defence deal

Meanwhile, TRT World also reported that Turkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia are expected to sign a defence industry cooperation memorandum today (Wednesday).

The signing will be held in Qatar, which is also expected to announce plans to establish a local defence production hub, the Gulf state’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Global Security Forum in Doha on Monday.

Turkish Defence Mini­ster Yasar Guler will travel to Doha for the signing. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who was also in Doha for the security for­um, is expected to represent Pakistan at the signing.

Earlier, Mr Naqvi met with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who also commands Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya). The two discussed the current regional situation and matters concerning regional peace and stability, the state-run APP news agency reported.

During their meeting, the two men agreed to expand the security partnership between Pakistan and Qatar. They also held detailed discussions on expanding cooperation in areas related to internal security.