The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) approved the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan late on Thursday 5 November by 279 votes to 119, the daily Evrensel reported1. Of 592 MPs, 398 voted. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) all backed it, repeating their line from the committee vote nine days earlier2. Deputy Speaker Celal Adan chaired the debate, which opened on 4 November.
Ratification came a month after the three states had already invoked the pact in Riyadh on 5 October. Turkey's vote does not by itself bring it into force: that happens once the last party files its ratification, and neither Turkish report gives Pakistan's or Saudi Arabia's status. Nor does it send anyone anywhere. No deployment motion has been tabled, although an AKP official had said one would follow ratification. The chamber sits again on Tuesday 10 November.
Turkey belongs to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), so a deployment would put an alliance army inside Saudi Arabia while the Houthis fire missiles at its cities. Evrensel, a left-wing daily, ran the result under the headline that the agreement "puts Turkey at risk of war". Opponents had argued in committee that it could pull Turkish troops into Yemen.
