Turkey's parliament approves the Mecca defence pact: 8 things it says

Turkey's parliament has ratified the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. President Erdoğan, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed it on 7 August. A parliamentary committee approved the bill on 27 October, and now the full house has voted. Here is what the text says.

1. The vote: 279 to 119

The bill passed the General Assembly of the TBMM (Turkey's parliament) with 279 votes in favour and 119 against. It is the final parliamentary step for Türkiye.

2. An attack on one is an attack on all

Article 2 says an armed attack from outside on any party counts as an attack on all of them. Article 1 adds that the parties will use "all necessary methods" if the territorial integrity, sovereignty or recognised borders of any member are threatened. It is often described as a NATO-style mechanism.

3. Help with everything they have

If one country is attacked, the others are to help immediately, using the "full range of mutual assistance". Article 10 covers weapons, ammunition, fuel, spare parts and other military equipment in war, peace or emergencies.

4. Making weapons together

Articles 3 and 7 promise technology transfer, joint research and development, joint production and closer cooperation between the three defence industries.

5. Intelligence, counterterrorism and drills

The parties will consult regularly on international security (Article 4) and step up operational cooperation against all forms of terrorism (Article 5). They will also run joint exercises and training and swap personnel (Article 6). Article 9 opens the door to sharing intelligence and security information.

6. A new committee and a secretariat

Article 8 creates a Strategic Political and Defence Committee, made up of foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of general staff. It will oversee the deal and consider new members. A secretariat based in Saudi Arabia will support it, and the first secretary-general will be Pakistani.

7. Who backed it and who didn't

The AKP and MHP, the governing alliance, voted yes. CHP group chair Faik Öztrak, from the main opposition party, said his party would also vote in favour. Yeni Parti, the pro-Kurdish DEM Parti, İyi Parti and Yeni Yol pointed to the unclear military obligations Türkiye would take on and the risk of being drawn into regional conflicts.

8. No exit for ten years

The three countries cannot leave during the first ten years after the deal takes effect. After that, a party can withdraw with at least three months' written notice. The text also says it does not affect rights and obligations under earlier international agreements.

In short, Ankara has now said yes to a pact that binds it to Islamabad and Riyadh for at least a decade.