ISTANBUL, October 20. /TASS/. The Mecca Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan is not an alternative to NATO and is open to other countries, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party Omer Celik said.

"The Mecca Agreement is not an alternative to NATO, but an additional mechanism of the international security architecture. <…> Turkey will respect this agreement with parliament’s approval and within the constitutional procedures. The participation of other countries in this agreement would be welcome from the viewpoint of its principles and goals," he said.

According to earlier reports, a bill on the ratification of the Mecca Agreement was submitted to Turkey’s parliament for ratification. Under the country’s laws, international agreements are to be endorsed by parliament, which also authorizes the deployment of military contingents abroad.

The Mecca Agreement consists of 16 articles; once it enters into force, the signatory countries will not be able to withdraw from it for the first 10 years. One of the most important articles is Article 2, which stipulates that an attack on one of the countries will be considered an act of military aggression against all signatories to the pact. The agreement provides for cooperation among the signatory countries in the defense industry, including joint production, the implementation of research and innovation projects, and personnel training. The parties will also cooperate in the areas of security, intelligence, and counterterrorism. The pact’s strategic, political, and defense committees, which will include foreign and defense ministers, and chiefs of staff, will meet at least twice a year on a rotating basis, while the countries’ leaders will meet once a year if they deem it necessary, according to excerpts from the document cited by the TRT Haber television channel.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on August 7. On October 5, the member countries decided to begin putting into practice their joint defense commitments and deploy military forces on Saudi territory.