🔶 The Turkish parliament approved the joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
On Thursday, the Turkish parliament approved the joint defense agreement between the country, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan with 279 votes in favor and 119 votes against.
This 16-point agreement, signed in Mecca in August, considers a ground attack on any of the three countries a ground attack on all of them and emphasizes military cooperation, information exchange and the strengthening of defense industries.
The approval of this agreement occurs in a situation where Saudi Arabia is facing the threats of the Houthis supported by Iran in Yemen and the countries of the region are also worried about the possible expansion of the war between America and Iran.
The opposition parties in Turkey warned that this agreement could bring Ankara into regional conflicts. On the other hand, Erdogan's government officials stressed that this agreement is of a defensive nature and sending Turkish forces for any military action would require separate approval from the parliament. This agreement is considered part of Saudi Arabia's effort to expand security partnerships and reduce dependence on America. Its validity period is 10 years and its secretariat will be located in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the possibility of Syria joining this agreement was also raised, but Turkish officials said that the current members must first formalize the structure and mechanism of the agreement.