Turkish parliamentary committee approves defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

The Foreign Affairs Committee of Turkey's Grand National Assembly has approved a bill to ratify the Mecca Mutual Defence Agreement between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Anadolu reports. During the session, Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Levent Gümrükçü answered lawmakers' questions about the agreement. The committee then approved the bill after a vote.

A key provision of the document states that an attack on one of the countries is considered an attack on all. Pakistan ratified the pact last week.

The move follows talks held the previous day in Tehran between high-level representatives of the three countries and Iran, aimed at reducing tensions in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia said the visit aimed to open channels for dialogue to prevent a new round of military escalation. Tehran said the sides agreed to continue negotiations.