Citing Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera reports that the Turkish parliament has passed the first article of a bill aimed at approving the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, while the remaining clauses have yet to be ratified, leading to an adjournment by lawmakers. Signed in August 7 in Mecca, the pact aims to bolster military coordination, intelligence sharing, and defense industry cooperation among the three nations, and treats an armed attack against any member as a joint attack on all three. Former Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told parliament that the agreement is not a replacement for NATO, and any overseas deployment of Turkish troops will still require parliamentary approval.