Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defense pact goes to parliament, four countries sign 'Badr' deal in Doha

The Turkish government has submitted the Mecca joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to parliament for ratification. Under the agreement, an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three.

The agreement, signed in August, was signed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Turkey and Pakistan have said the agreement does not target Iran or any other country. Turkey has made clear it will not fight in Yemen or send troops against Houthi rebels.

According to Turkey's state broadcaster TRT, the 16-point agreement includes provisions for intelligence sharing, technology transfer, weapons production and joint military training. Under the agreement, no country can withdraw from it for the first 10 years.

In Turkey, ratification will follow review by a parliamentary committee, while deployment of troops will require separate parliamentary approval. Pakistan has not yet begun its own parliamentary ratification process. The agreement's secretariat will be based in Saudi Arabia, and retired Pakistani General Nauman Mahmood has been chosen as its first secretary-general.

Meanwhile, Turkey's defense ministry said Turkey, Qatar, Indonesia and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding called 'Badr' for defense industry cooperation in Doha on Wednesday.