Turkey submits text of Mecca Defence Pact to parliament, showing NATO-style mutual defence commitment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

Summary

The Turkish government submitted the text of the Mecca Defence Pact to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the pact in August, and it establishes a new international defence alliance that commits the signatories to one another's defence, similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. According to the text, obtained by Middle East Eye, the pact does not identify any specific country or region as a threat. It states that the parties will use all necessary means to eliminate threats to their territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, and that an externally originating armed attack against any party is an attack against all. The pact bars withdrawal for the first 10 years. The foreign ministers of the three countries met in Riyadh on 5 October 2026 for a committee meeting of the pact.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   20 Oct 2026, 11:25 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports exclusively that the full text of the Mecca Defence Pact, signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August, commits the three countries to mutual defence, military assistance, intelligence sharing and defence industry cooperation, and bars withdrawal for the first 10 years.

2. Middle East Eye

   20 Oct 2026, 15:26 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that the Turkish government submitted the text of the Mecca Defence Pact to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday, and that the text does not identify any specific country or region as a threat.