Turkish MPs Denounce Defense Pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as Illegal
Several members of the Turkish Parliament have described the signing of a joint defense agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan as illegal, warning that the move could entangle Turkey in complex regional conflicts.
According to these parliamentarians, the agreement, referred to as the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement,” must be submitted to Parliament for review and approval in accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution. Signing the agreement without this process renders it legally illegitimate.
Turhan Şümes, leader of the “Good” Party faction, stated that under this agreement, any attack on one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, triggering a joint defense. He questioned with what authority the President accepted such a commitment and what specific threat facing Turkey justifies such an agreement at the present time.
Referring to regional tensions, Şümes warned that if conflicts escalate — including the possibility of Iran reacting to US attacks on Saudi soil — Turkey could inadvertently be drawn into a broader confrontation; a situation he describes as “very dangerous.”
Murat Emir, deputy leader of the “New” Party faction, described the agreement as an attempt to showcase “strategic brilliance,” but emphasized that such a move could undermine the structural rationality of Turkey’s foreign policy. He noted that Pakistan, as a nuclear power, has a dispute with India over Kashmir, and Saudi Arabia is involved in multiple regional tensions.
Emir added that joining a framework that implicates Turkey in the conflicts of these countries offers no clear benefit to Ankara and could entail heavy political and security costs.
Mithat Rindi, a retired Turkish ambassador, also regarded the agreement as part of a plan to establish a new regional defense mechanism, interpreting it as a sign of Saudi Arabia’s security concerns.
So far, full details of the agreement have not been officially released, and it remains unclear when it will be presented to the Turkish Parliament for review.
