Turkey plans to seek parliamentary authorization to deploy military personnel to Saudi Arabia under a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a ruling-party lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday.
Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to parliament for ratification on Tuesday. The lawmaker said the separate deployment mandate would be submitted after parliament approves the agreement.
The three countries signed the pact on August 7, establishing a mutual-defense commitment under which an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three. The agreement brings NATO member Turkey, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan into a trilateral defense arrangement as Saudi Arabia faces missile and drone attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Under the proposed Turkish contribution, technical personnel and specialists would initially support Saudi air defenses, electronic warfare capabilities and other defensive systems. A Turkish ruling-party lawmaker said personnel deployed under the agreement would not participate in offensive operations. Turkish officials have also discussed military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems as potential forms of support.
The agreement comes as the three countries expand military coordination in response to regional security threats. Pakistan has confirmed that its forces are serving in Saudi Arabia under the pact, while Turkey has been assessing how to assist the kingdom. Turkey has also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition focused on protecting navigation in the Red Sea.
