Fidan says Türkiye can meet Saudi needs under defense pact
ANKARA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (DHA Photo)
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sept. 19 that Türkiye is ready to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military and technical needs as the kingdom faces escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, invoking a recently signed trilateral defense pact that also includes Pakistan.
“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,” Fidan told private broadcaster NTV.
“They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these.”
The comments came as the Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have attacked “sensitive” sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said earlier in the day that it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh, while a fire broke out at a fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport.
The attacks mark a new escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed Aug. 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three.
“It is unacceptable for Saudi Arabia to be made a part of the U.S.-Iran war,” Fidan said, as Riyadh “had no desire to join the conflict.”
He said proposals had been conveyed to the parties to end the fighting, without providing details.
“There are many initiatives, but the sides need to accept these,” Fidan said. “There are new proposals; I hope they accept them.”
Fidan warned that the economic consequences of the conflict were becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate.
The three nations frame the trilateral pact as a mechanism for collective security and deterrence, emphasizing that it supplements rather than replaces their current alliances. Both Türkiye and Pakistan noted that the agreement remains open to new members.