Turkey plans to send military personnel to Saudi Arabia – parliament to vote
Ankara is preparing a mandate under the Mecca defence pact, an AK Party lawmaker says. The personnel would only play a defensive role, for example in air defence.
Archive image · Photo: Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Turkey will submit a mandate to parliament allowing military personnel to be deployed to Saudi Arabia. A lawmaker from the ruling AK Party, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Wednesday. The basis is the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey; Ankara submitted it to parliament for ratification on Tuesday.
According to the lawmaker, the mandate will be submitted only after the accord is ratified. Turkish troops would not take part in offensive operations; initially, technicians and experts would support air defence, electronic warfare and other defensive functions. Two officials had previously said Turkey’s role would be limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems.
Saudi Arabia is under fire from Yemen’s Houthi militia. Turkey, which Reuters describes as NATO’s second-largest army, has condemned the attacks and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea. According to Reuters, the pact moves Ankara closer to a formal mutual defence pledge with Riyadh.