Ankara, Oct. 21 -- Turkiye has submitted the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement to parliament for ratification, bringing NATO's second-largest military contributor closer to a formal mutual defence commitment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The three countries signed the agreement in August, committing to treat an armed attack against any one member as an attack against all. The provision, similar to NATO's Article 5, refers to Article 51 of the UN Charter, which recognises states' individual and collective right to self-defence.
Under the pact, the members have agreed to use "all necessary means" to counter threats to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognised borders.
The agreement will take effect once...