Turkey has offered to address Saudi Arabia’s military requirements under its trilateral defence agreement with Pakistan, as Yemen’s Houthis step up attacks on Saudi territory.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Ankara was in “serious solidarity” with Riyadh and was ready to provide assistance, particularly in technical military areas, amid the continuing Houthi attacks.
“We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity, sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact,” Fidan told broadcaster NTV. “They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these.”
TRILATERAL PACT
The “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”, signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan last month, stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three nations would be treated as an attack on all three.
Fidan said the agreement demonstrated Turkey’s commitment to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom continues to face attacks from the Houthis, who control the most heavily populated parts of Yemen.
On Saturday, the Houthis claimed they had targeted “sensitive” locations in Riyadh using missiles and drones. The claim came several hours after flames and a large column of smoke were spotted near the Saudi capital’s main airport.
SAUDI ARABIA 'MUST NOT BE DRAWN' INTO US-IRAN WAR
Fidan said Saudi Arabia being pulled into the broader US-Iran conflict was unacceptable, saying Riyadh had no plans to enter the war.
He said Turkey had presented proposals to all parties with the aim of bringing the conflict to an end, though he did not disclose details.
“There are many initiatives, but the sides need to accept these,” Fidan said. “There are new proposals, I hope they accept them.”
He also cautioned that the economic impact of the conflict was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has said its defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia could eventually be expanded and was not designed to replace existing alliances.
Pakistan has stated that Islamabad has not discussed a military response under the Mecca agreement following the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. However, it has said it would respond when the “time comes”.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks against Saudi Arabia since announcing a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. Their strikes have targeted Saudi cities, energy facilities and shipping, raising concerns about oil supplies and trade through the Red Sea.
Turkey has condemned the Houthi attacks and called for an immediate halt to them.
