Reuters: Türkiye prepares to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under Mecca pact

Reuters reported that Türkiye is preparing to deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. A memorandum on sending the troops will be referred to Parliament after the agreement is ratified.

Reuters reported that Türkiye is preparing to deploy military forces to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the Mecca mutual defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The memorandum on sending the troops will be submitted to the Turkish Parliament after the agreement is ratified.

The three countries signed the agreement on August 7 last year, and it was activated for the first time during an emergency meeting held in Riyadh in early October. At the meeting, the parties agreed to activate deterrence measures against Houthi attacks, committed to providing the agreed-upon forces and military capabilities, and pledged to ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom.

توقيع اتفاق مكة للدفاع المشترك بين تركيا والسعودية وباكستان

Fuat Oktay, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Turkish Parliament, said Wednesday that the agreement had reached Parliament but had not yet been referred to the relevant committee. The Turkish Constitution requires separate parliamentary approval for any deployment of troops outside the country, even after the agreement is ratified.

The Turkish Defense Ministry announced on October 15 that the size of Türkiye's contribution would be determined by Riyadh's requests, conditions on the ground and the understanding between Ankara and Riyadh, without specifying the number of troops or the nature of their mission.