The Mecca Pact is a defensive alliance, and Turkey will not send troops to attack from foreign territory. This was stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after the decision on October 5 to provide military forces and deploy them in Saudi Arabia.
„When a country in the alliance is attacked, you will be there to defend it. This is not an alliance for attacks. Turkey will not send troops to foreign territory and attack from there“, Fidan said at a joint press conference with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia participate in the pact. The three countries signed the joint defense agreement on August 7, 2026. The document stipulates that an armed attack against one of the countries will be considered an attack against all participants. Because of this clause, the alliance has been compared by analysts to NATO.
Discussing air defense
Fidan specified that the specific measures will be determined by the military delegations. They analyze what kind of protection Saudi Arabia needs and what Turkey and Pakistan can contribute.
“We continue to work specifically on how to support air defense, electronic systems, as well as other technical issues. The military committees continue their work“, said the Turkish foreign minister.
According to him, Saudi Arabia already has a significant military infrastructure. The technical analysis is being carried out at the level of military structures and the specific numbers and composition of the forces that can be deployed have not yet been announced.
The pact moves to practical actions
The extraordinary meeting in Riyadh on October 5 was held against the backdrop of escalation around Yemen and Saudi Arabia. At that time, the activation of the defense commitments of the three countries and the preparation for the deployment of military capabilities in the kingdom were discussed.
“Although the agreement to establish the Mecca Defense Alliance was signed very recently, very rapid steps are being taken to institutionalize it and move to practical actions“, Fidan said.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also announced that the agreement will be sent to the Turkish parliament for ratification as soon as possible. Until the completion of this procedure and the work of the military committees, no final parameters for Turkish participation have been announced.
Sources: bta.bg