Fidan rejects criticism of Mecca pact over Yemen

NEW YORK

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan participated in a coordination meeting held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. (AA photo)

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan defended the newly formed Mecca defense alliance against criticism over its response to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying it was unfair to judge the pact against Yemen’s decade-long conflict.

Speaking at a panel on Türkiye-U.S. relations organized by the Communications Directorate in New York on Sept. 21, Fidan said the alliance between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was only beginning its work.

Asked how the pact had performed in its first test, Fidan drew a comparison with NATO, whose Article 5 collective defense clause has been invoked only once.

“No one criticizes NATO as a ‘paper tiger,’ but when it comes to a newly formed defense alliance, they point to a 10-year crisis, the Yemen crisis, and say, ‘Look, this doesn’t work,’” he said.

“We have only just begun.”

Fidan said Türkiye had considered such an arrangement for five or six years, but persuading other countries had taken time.

He said Ankara’s pursuit of regional cooperation reflected a longstanding policy, independent of calculations about Washington’s future global role.

Countries needed to commit to one another’s security, territorial integrity and sovereignty, he said, describing cooperation without domination or subordination as the basis of Türkiye’s approach.

Separately, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek told a business summit in New Jersey that his ministry was working to speed up commercial court proceedings following complaints about lengthy cases.

Speaking at the event organized by the Turkish-American Business Association (TABA-AmCham), Gürlek defended the reliability and predictability of Türkiye’s legal system and said officials took investors’ concerns seriously.

He also cited legislation under the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, which he said had passed parliament with the support of 467 lawmakers from different political backgrounds.

Gürlek said unity at home was essential to ending terrorism, protecting public safety and ensuring economic stability.