THE Turkish parliament has ratified a regional defence pact involving Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, state media reported on Friday.
The move has cleared the way for Ankara to send military support to Riyadh amid attacks by Houthis against the kingdom.
The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, committing them to come to one another’s aid if any member is attacked.
The pact links Nato-member Turkiye, which has the alliance’s second-largest army, with Pakistan, the Islamic world’s only nuclear-armed state, and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf’s leading power.
Lawmakers approved the measure by 279 votes to 119, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
During parliamentary debates, ruling AKP lawmaker Ziya Altunyaldiz said the agreement was not directed against any third country and was intended to prevent conflicts rather than escalate them, Anadolu reported.
Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fuat Oktay said the alliance is entirely about defence, and not for attacking other countries, TRT World reported.
Oktay said Turkiye would “not be drawn into an uncontrolled process against its will.”
He added that the deployment of troops would only be possible with future parliamentary approval.
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks by Yemen’s Houthis targeting cities, oil facilities and shipping since fighting in the impoverished country’s civil war intensified again in July.
Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2026
