Turkey offers military help to Saudi under Mecca pact amid Houthi attacks

Turkey has offered to meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs under a trilateral defence pact with Pakistan, as Yemen’s Houthis intensify attacks on Saudi territory.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Ankara stood in “serious solidarity” with Riyadh and was prepared to provide assistance, particularly on technical military issues, amid the ongoing 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, states that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all three.

Fidan said the pact reflected Turkey’s commitment to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom faces repeated attacks by the Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous areas.

Earlier on Saturday, the Houthis said they had attacked “sensitive” sites in Riyadh with missiles and drones. The claim came hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the Saudi capital’s main airport.

SAUDI ARABIA 'MUST NOT BE DRAWN' INTO US-IRAN WAR

Fidan said it was unacceptable for Saudi Arabia to be drawn into the wider US-Iran conflict, arguing that Riyadh had no intention of joining the war.

He said Turkey had conveyed proposals to all sides aimed at ending 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.”

He warned that the economic consequences of the conflict were becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate.

Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has said the defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia could be expanded and was not intended to replace existing alliances.

Pakistan has said there have been no discussions about a military response by Islamabad under the Mecca agreement following the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. However, it has said it would act when the “time comes”.

The Houthis have been attacking Saudi Arabia since announcing a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, raising concerns over oil supplies and the Red Sea trade route.

Turkey has condemned the Houthi attacks and called for them to stop immediately.

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