Turkiye is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia counter attacks from Yemen’s Houthis under the Makkah defence pact signed between Islamabad, Riyadh and Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday. The defence pact , signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. “The technical evaluations are [being] carried out, and these continue among our military officials,” Fidan said during a joint press conference in Ankara with his Hungarian counterpart, adding that officials were working out what contributions could be made, particularly on air defence. Ankara’s top diplomat also stressed that the pact was a defensive agreement, not an offensive one. “When a country of this agreement is attacked, you have to side with them,” Fidan stated. “This is not an attack agreement. Turkiye is not carrying out an attack by sending troops to another country’s land.” The Turkish foreign minister added that the process of sending the text of the agreement to the Turkish parliament for ratification had been finalised. Fidan’s remarks came after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Monday agreed to the deployment of military forces and capabilities rapidly in the kingdom during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh. The emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee addressed the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia. “The committee decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office after the meeting said. While the statement did not specifically name any threat, the development comes against the backdrop of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict. A day prior, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN that Pakistani troops were already in Saudi Arabia, adding that they had been in the kingdom “for decades” and across multiple domains. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has also described the agreement as defensive, without an offensive agenda. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistani and Turkish forces would play a supporting role, including reconnaissance, while Saudi forces conduct combat operations.
Turkiye's FM Fidan says Istanbul assessing aid to Saudi Arabia as part of Makkah agreement
Turkiye is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia counter attacks from Yemen’s Houthis under the Makkah defence pact signed between Islamabad, Riyadh and Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday. The defence pact , signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. “The technical evaluations are [being] carried out, and these continue among our military officials,” Fidan said during a joint press conference in Ankara with his Hungarian counterpart, adding that officials were working out what contributions could be made, particularly on air defence. Ankara’s top diplomat also stressed that the pact was a defensive agreement, not an offensive one. “When a country of this agreement is attacked, you have to side with them,” Fidan stated. “This is not an attack agreement. Turkiye is not carrying out an attack by sending troops to another country’s land.” The Turkish foreign minister added that the process of sending the text of the agreement to the Turkish parliament for ratification had been finalised. Fidan’s remarks came after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Monday agreed to the deployment of military forces and capabilities rapidly in the kingdom during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh. The emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee addressed the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia. “The committee decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office after the meeting said. While the statement did not specifically name any threat, the development comes against the backdrop of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict. A day prior, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN that Pakistani troops were already in Saudi Arabia, adding that they had been in the kingdom “for decades” and across multiple domains. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has also described the agreement as defensive, without an offensive agenda. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistani and Turkish forces would play a supporting role, including reconnaissance, while Saudi forces conduct combat operations.