ANKARA, October 7 (HS/RIA Novosti) - The establishment of a Turkish military base in Saudi Arabia is not on the government's agenda, a source in the Turkish cabinet told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The pro-government newspaper Turkiye reported earlier in the day that the issue of establishing a Turkish military base in Saudi Arabia was allegedly being discussed within the framework of the Mecca Defense Alliance.

There is no such issue on the agenda. Where did such information come from? the source said.

On Monday, Turkey and Pakistan decided to move toward the practical implementation of collective defense obligations and to ensure the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and assets to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca agreement. This was announced in a joint statement following a meeting of the Mecca alliance's Strategic Political and Defense Committee.

A Turkish government source told RIA Novosti on Tuesday that any potential deployment of Turkish troops to Saudi Arabia would require navigating various legal and regulatory procedures, with specific timelines for the transfer not determined yet.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. It provides for the strengthening of collective deterrence, with an armed attack on one of the participants to be regarded as an attack against them all.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar