Turkiye will submit to parliament a mandate allowing for 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 said the mandate would be sent to parliament once a ‌bill ‌ratifying the accord ‌has been approved. Turkiye ‌submitted the Makkah 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.