The law approving the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has been published in the Official Gazette and has taken effect, Turkish media reported shortly after midnight on Saturday, 14 November.
The three countries signed the agreement in the Saudi city of Mecca on 7 August 2026. The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) adopted the approval bill on 5 November with votes from the ruling AK Party, its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to reports at the time. The parliamentary process was previewed in our report on the week’s agenda in parliament, after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the pact was ready for parliament.
An attack on one is an attack on all
The 16-article agreement treats an external armed attack on any of the three parties as an attack on all of them. In that case, the parties commit to assisting one another, with reference to the right of self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The text and Turkish officials describe the pact as purely defensive and not aimed at any third country.
Training, intelligence and logistics
Beyond the mutual defence clause, the agreement covers cooperation in the defence industry and joint training and exercises. The parties will share intelligence through jointly agreed secure channels, provide one another with logistics support such as weapons, ammunition, fuel and spare parts, and strengthen cooperation against terrorism.
A Strategic Political and Defence Committee made up of the three countries’ foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of general staff will meet twice a year, with the host rotating among the parties. Leaders may also meet once a year.
No end date, ten-year lock-in
The agreement has no expiry date. A party cannot withdraw during the first ten years; after that, it may leave by giving at least three months’ written notice through diplomatic channels.
Separately, on Friday Türkiye and Qatar signed five agreements, including a mutual defence deal, in Istanbul.
Sources
- Mekke Savunma Anlaşması yürürlüğe girdi (NTV)
- Mekke Anlaşması Resmi Gazete’de yayımlandı (Memurlar.net)
- Son dakika…Mekke Anlaşması Resmi Gazete’de yayımlandı (Sözcü)
- Ortak Savunma İçin Mekke Anlaşması’nın tam metni (Bianet)
- Mekke Anlaşması’na hangi parti ne oy verdi? (Evrensel)
- Mekke Anlaşması TBMM’de kabul edildi (Ekonomim)
Photo: bynyalcin / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
