Criminal to send forces to Saudi: Turkey's Opposition raises alarm over Mecca Pact

As Turkey moves closer to getting embroiled in Saudi Arabia's defence network through the Mecca Pact, Ankara's opposition leaders challenge the legal status of the alliance and warn that it could pull Turkey into a military role in Yemen.

Following the activation of the Mecca Defence Alliance, which obligates its members to rapidly deploy troops and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia, opposition parties in Turkey have strongly opposed the move. They have labelled any potential deployment of Turkish troops to the Gulf a "constitutional crime" and warned against getting embroiled in the war against the Houthis in Yemen.

The Mecca Defence Alliance, also called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, is a Nato-like mutual self-defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey that was signed into force on August 7.

The pact was activated after an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defence in Riyadh on Monday (October 5). It comes as Riyadh has become embroiled in the fighting in Yemen, which has seen the Ansar Allah (aka the Houthis) seize large parts of the country.

All this being said, Ankara's entry into the Mecca Pact is yet to be ratified by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (the country's only legislative body). Furthermore, any deployment of Turkish troops on foreign soil would need parliamentary authorisation under the Turkish constitution, none of which has taken place yet.

It is these facts that are being cited by members of the opposition in Turkey, who have met news of the pact's activation with considerable scorn, and warned against deploying Turkish soldiers into Yemen.

WE REJECT THIS ADVENTURE, SAYS TURKEY'S OPPOSITION LEADER

The activation of the Mecca Pact on October 5 has drawn criticism from Turkey's opposition, with leaders questioning the legality of any military deployment to Saudi Arabia or Yemen.

Germany-based news outlet Turkish Minute reported that New Party leader Ozgur Ozel rejected the military commitment to Saudi Arabia, arguing that entering a defence pact with a country at war could make Turkey a party to the conflict.

"Joint defence pacts are established during times of peace. Signing this with a country at war is to directly become a party to the conflict," Ozel was quoted as saying.

Turkish newspaper Gazete Oksijen reported that Ozel also criticised the decision to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia without first bringing the agreement before Parliament.

"Last night they decided to deploy troops there. While you haven't brought the agreement, haven't sent it to Parliament, and the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly hasn't put it on the agenda, the minister is signing off on a decision that Parliament should have made," he said.

Ozel was also quoted as saying, "If the military is going to leave, it will have to pass through Parliament again." He added, "We do not accept the adventure that will send our soldiers to Yemen 100 years later, acting as Trump's obedient soldiers."

Similarly, IYI Party lawmaker Turhan Comez accused the government of violating Articles 90 and 92 of the Constitution, writing in a post on Facebook that Turkish soldiers "cannot and should not be sent to the deserts of Yemen for the interests of the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia".

IYI Party international relations head Ahmet Erozan separately questioned whether a formal text of the Mecca pact even exists. Speaking to the Turkish news outlet, T24, he said, "First, we need to ask, 'Does this agreement exist?' In my opinion, the text of this agreement doesn't physically exist!"

New Party MP Namik Tan questioned the legal status of the Mecca Pact, arguing that it cannot be implemented without parliamentary approval. He also called for clarification over reports of Turkish military forces or capabilities being deployed to Yemen.

"These actions constitute a constitutional crime. From a foreign policy perspective, these reckless initiatives reveal a doomsday scenario obsession characteristic of one-man regimes. If the claim of sending military forces and or capabilities to Yemen is true, it is a clear manifestation and proof of this obsession," Tan was reported as saying by the news outlet, Sozcu.

New Party spokesperson Zeynel Emre also said the agreement must be approved by Parliament before taking effect.

"For it to come into effect, it needs to pass through the Grand National Assembly and be published in the Official Gazette. You cannot act as if it has already entered into force. This is a constitutional crime," Emre said.

AMID OPPOSITION, TURKISH PERSONNEL ARE REPORTEDLY ALREADY IN SAUDI ARABIA

As opposition parties in Turkey object to potential foreign deployments, Turkish personnel are reportedly already operating in Saudi Arabia.

Middle East Eye, citing unnamed Turkish officials, reported that Ankara has maintained technical teams, air defence systems and electronic warfare equipment in the Kingdom since last year to protect critical infrastructure, including energy facilities.

One senior Turkish official told the outlet that Ankara would send additional equipment, technicians, emergency response teams and accompanying combat personnel. The official said the deployment was possible under a 2010 military training agreement between Saudi Arabia and Turkey that allows Ankara to deploy limited forces to the Kingdom for technical purposes.

Further deployments, however, would require parliamentary authorisation under the Turkish Constitution, which the opposition parties are demanding.

Murat Yesiltas, an academic and member of the Turkish Presidency's foreign policy advisory board, said Ankara could bring the Mecca Pact or a separate deployment authorisation before the Grand National Assembly within 30 days.

He said Turkey was more likely to initially provide air defence, anti-drone systems and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support in Saudi Arabia than deploy combat troops to Yemen.

"This approach allows Turkey to integrate into Riyadh's security network while simultaneously enabling it to controllably limit the level of risk and engagement it undertakes," he wrote on X.

Middle East Eye, citing another Turkish source, also reported that following parliamentary approval, Turkey could deploy an undisclosed number of experienced pilots and aircraft to Saudi Arabia to counter drones and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen.

"We don't plan to send a large group of soldiers and have no plans to directly intervene in Yemen," the senior Turkish official said, adding, "Ankara still believes diplomatic efforts might bear fruit in coming months."

For now, Ankara appears focused on bolstering Saudi's defence while avoiding direct Turkish military involvement in Yemen. But should it opt for more substantial deployments, it might run into sustained opposition back home.

- Ends
(Written by Shounak Sanyal)