Turkish MPs: Signing Mecca agreement violates constitution

Pars Today – Several members of the Turkish Parliament have criticized Turkey's joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, arguing that its signing by the president is unconstitutional and calling for the agreement to be submitted to parliament.

According to Pars Today, citing Mehr News Agency, Turhan Çömez, parliamentary group leader of the İYİ Party, addressed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, asking: “Mr. Erdoğan, under what authority did you sign this agreement?” He said the agreement must be submitted to parliament for ratification under Article 90 of the Turkish Constitution, and that all of its details must be thoroughly discussed there.

The İYİ Party parliamentary group leader said it was necessary to clarify the nature of the current threat and determine what threat Turkey actually faces.

Murat Emir, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Yeni Parti, also said efforts were underway to submit the agreement, signed with the participation of the president, to parliament for review, describing it as evidence of the erosion of Turkey's constitutional order.

He added that there was no justification for Turkey to expose itself to regional risks and that no one had the right to drag the country into such adventures through individual or personal diplomacy under the banner of “leader diplomacy.”

Mitat Rende, a retired Turkish ambassador, also criticized Turkish officials over the defense pact signed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, saying it was a defense agreement sought by the United States and demonstrated that Saudi Arabia was suffering from security vulnerability.