Türkiye ready to submit Mecca defense pact to parliament: Fidan

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday that Türkiye has completed preparations to submit the Mecca defense agreement to parliament for ratification, emphasizing that the pact provides for mutual defense and does not authorize attacks on other countries.

Defensive nature

Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara alongside Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orban, Fidan stated that the agreement obligates signatories to defend one another only in the event of an attack. "Once a country that is party to the agreement is attacked, you stand by it for its defense. This is not an attack agreement," he said.

He also noted that the pact does not authorize Türkiye to deploy troops to another country's territory to carry out offensive operations. He added that the arrangement remains strictly within the bounds of mutual defense.

Black Sea warning

Fidan also addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, warning that the conflict must not be allowed to expand into the Black Sea region. "We must never allow the Black Sea to turn into a new front of conflict," he said.