Turkish panel backs mutual defense pact with Saudi and Pakistan
Turkey just took a big step toward teaming up with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on defense.
A parliamentary committee approved a decade-long agreement that says if one country is attacked, the others will treat it as an attack on all three.
The deal still needs a final vote in parliament, but it already has strong support from President Erdogan's party.
Trilateral pact outlines weapons technology intelligence
The agreement is all about closer military ties: think joint weapons projects, sharing technology, and swapping intelligence.
Some Turkish lawmakers are worried this could drag Turkey into outside conflicts, especially given tensions with Iran-backed groups.
But officials stress it is only for defense: "The agreements our country has signed and to which it is a party are not intended for aggression, expansionism, or the formation of a bloc against third countries," said legislator Fuat Oktay.
Turkish government officials added that Turkish troops would not be deployed to fight in Yemen or attack the Houthis.
Ministers from all three countries have also met twice to keep things stable in the region.