Türkiye Moves Closer to Deploying Military Personnel to Saudi Arabia Under Defence Pact
Türkiye is preparing to seek parliamentary approval for the deployment of military personnel to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defence agreement with Pakistan and Riyadh, a ruling party lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday.
The proposed mandate would follow parliamentary ratification of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in August. Türkiye submitted the agreement to parliament on Tuesday, bringing the three countries closer to formalising their mutual defence commitments.
The lawmaker from Türkiye’s ruling AK Party, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkish personnel sent to other countries under the agreement would not participate in offensive military operations.
According to the official, the initial deployment would involve technical specialists and military experts providing assistance in air defence, electronic warfare technologies and other defensive capabilities.
The development marks a potential expansion of Türkiye’s role in regional security cooperation as Saudi Arabia faces security threats, including attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement.
Earlier, two officials told Reuters that Türkiye’s contribution to the alliance was expected to focus on military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems. They said no other form of deployment had taken place under the arrangement at that stage.
Türkiye has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and has also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition aimed at protecting maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
Defence agreement outlines mutual assistance
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement establishes a framework for cooperation among Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, including a commitment to treat an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three.
Under the agreement’s first article, the participating countries pledge to use necessary means to address threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders.
Article 2 states that if one member faces an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, the other parties will provide immediate assistance through available mutual support measures.
The provision draws on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises the individual and collective right of states to self-defence following an armed attack.
The agreement also provides for the three countries to determine the scale and nature of assistance after assessing the requirements of the country under attack.
Regional security cooperation gains momentum
At an emergency meeting of the alliance in Riyadh earlier this month, the three countries agreed to work towards the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Türkiye, which has developed a substantial defence industry, has expressed its willingness to help Saudi Arabia meet its military technology requirements.
Beyond military deployments, the agreement envisages cooperation in defence production, intelligence sharing, logistics and counterterrorism efforts, including operational-level coordination.
The planned parliamentary mandate would bring Türkiye a step closer to deploying personnel under the framework. However, the proposed deployment remains subject to the relevant parliamentary and approval procedures.
The agreement is intended to strengthen coordination among the three partners and establish a framework for responding collectively to potential security threats across the region.
