Turkey to submit mandate to parliament allowing military personnel to be deployed to Saudi Arabia

The lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the mandate would be sent to parliament once a bill ratifying the accord has been approved.

Turkey will submit a mandate to parliament allowing military personnel to be deployed to Saudi Arabia under its joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a lawmaker from the ruling AK Party told Reuters on Wednesday.

The lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the mandate would be sent to parliament once a bill ratifying the accord has been approved.

Turkey submitted the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement - signed by the three countries in August - to parliament for ratification on Tuesday, moving NATO's second-largest army closer to a formal mutual defense pledge with Riyadh as it faces Houthi attacks.

Turkish troops will not take part in offensive operations

The AKP lawmaker said no Turkish troops deployed to other countries under the pact would take part in offensive operations, adding that technical personnel and experts would initially be sent to help with air defenses, electronic warfare technologies, and other defensive support.

Earlier, two officials told Reuters that Turkey's contribution was expected to be limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing, and weapons systems, adding that the alliance had not seen any other form of deployment so far.

Turkey, which has condemned the Houthi attacks, has also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.