Turkish FM says ready to meet Saudi defence needs – what does that mean?
Ankara expresses readiness to assist Riyadh as Houthi attacks escalate, testing a recent trilateral defence agreement.
Turkiye says it is ready to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs as Riyadh faces escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthis, potentially putting a newly signed Mecca defence pact to its first major test.
Last month, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which treats an armed attack on any of its three member countries as an attack on all three, amid growing regional tensions.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia may require military assistance, particularly on “technical issues”, and that Ankara would have no problem providing it.
Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director-general of the Pakistan military’s media wing, told the Saudi newspaper Arab News on Thursday that Islamabad stands with Saudi Arabia diplomatically and physically.