Turkish FM Says Turkiye Ready to Support Saudi Arabia Under Defence Pact

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Saturday that Turkiye is prepared to assist Saudi Arabia with military needs arising from ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement. Fidan stated that under the provision of a trilateral defence pact, Turkiye is ready to act if required.

Speaking to broadcaster NTV, Fidan said, “We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact. We are in serious solidarity on this point... They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these.”

The joint defence agreement, known as the 'Makkah Defence Alliance', includes Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Signed last month, the pact specifies that an armed attack on any one member will be treated as an attack on all three countries.

Recent months have seen the Houthis, who control significant territory in Yemen, carry out attacks on Saudi cities, energy infrastructure, and shipping. These incidents have affected global oil supplies and alternative export routes from the Gulf, especially as the Strait of Hormuz remains impacted.

The United States has declined requests from Saudi Arabia for military assistance against the Houthis. Fidan commented that Saudi Arabia should not be drawn into the broader US-Iran conflict, noting that proposals for resolving the fighting have been presented to all parties. "There are new proposals; I hope they accept them. Otherwise, the crisis was tolerated until a certain point, but the economic repercussions have started to exceed the point of being tolerable," he added.

Turkiye has said the defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is open to expansion and does not replace any existing alliances. Pakistan, for its part, has not discussed a military response under the agreement but has stated it would act if necessary.

On Saturday, Yemen's Houthi group claimed attacks on sensitive locations in Riyadh, including areas near the main airport. In response, Turkiye condemned the attacks and called for their immediate halt.