Turkey is ready to help Saudi Arabia meet its military needs amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
This was stated by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Reuters reports.
According to Fidan, Saudi Arabia may require military and technical assistance under a trilateral defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan.
"We are seeing very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Under our pact, an allied agreement is in force. We are showing serious solidarity on this issue... They may have certain military needs, especially on some technical matters. It will not be a problem for us to meet them," Fidan said.
The "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", which Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed last month, stipulates that an armed attack on one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all participating states.
Earlier, Yemen’s Houthis reported missile and drone attacks on "sensitive" sites in Riyadh. According to Reuters, a fire broke out near the main airport of the Saudi capital after the attack.
The Houthis control the most densely populated areas of Yemen. Since July, the group has been attacking Saudi Arabia, declaring a naval blockade of the kingdom. The strikes are aimed, among other things, at cities, energy infrastructure and shipping.
Fidan also said that Turkey considers it unacceptable to draw Saudi Arabia into the war between the United States and Iran. According to him, Riyadh does not seek to join this conflict.
"There are many initiatives, but the parties have to accept them. There are new proposals, and I hope they will accept them. Otherwise, up to a certain point this crisis could still be endured, but its economic consequences have already begun to go beyond what can be considered acceptable," the Turkish minister said.
He also reported that proposals to halt the fighting had been passed to all sides, but did not disclose their content.
Turkey says the defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is open to other states joining and is not intended to replace existing international alliances.
At the same time, Pakistan has said that under the agreement, Islamabad’s military response to Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia was not discussed. The country stressed that it would act if necessary.
- Attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities have directly affected global energy markets: in recent weeks, petrol and diesel prices in many countries have risen sharply, adding to already high costs caused by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.