Turkey's approval of Makkah pact takes effect as it signs separate defence agreement with Qatar

Turkey officially ratified the Makkah Defence Pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Saturday, following its recent signing of a separate mutual defence agreement with Qatar. The legislative approval process for the trilateral pact was completed when the law was published in Turkey's official gazette. The agreement, initially signed in August amid regional tensions, aims to enhance military coordination, intelligence sharing, and defence industry cooperation, modeled after NATO's Article 5.

However, its implementation has been questioned due to recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have disrupted air travel and led to the cancellation of major international events. Turkey, a member of NATO with the second-largest army within the alliance, has ruled out deploying troops to combat the Houthis under the Makkah Defence Pact.

Meanwhile, Turkey and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday, pledging a unified stance against any external armed attack targeting either country. The two nations also agreed to consult on threats to their security and regional and global defence issues, expand joint military exercises, personnel training exchanges, and deepen co-operation between their defence industries.