Turkey Says It May Help Meet Saudi Military Needs

Ankara - Afaq News - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia may have military needs due to the ongoing attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group, and that Turkey is ready to assist under a trilateral defense agreement that also includes Pakistan.

Fidan told NTV, "We see that there are very serious attacks on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Saudi Arabia. We have a coalition agreement, and we are seriously united on this point... They may have some military needs, especially regarding some technical issues. We will have no problem meeting them."

Fidan stated that it is unacceptable to make Saudi Arabia a party in the war between the United States and Iran, as it has no desire to engage in it. He added, without going into details, that proposals to end the fighting have been communicated to all parties.

Fidan continued, saying, "There are many initiatives, but the parties must accept them... There are new proposals, and I hope they will accept them... This crisis was being tolerated up to a certain point, but its economic repercussions have begun to exceed the bearable limit.

The joint defense agreement, referred to as the (Makkah Joint Defense Agreement), which was signed last month, stipulates that any armed attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack on all of them.

The Houthis control the most densely populated areas in Yemen and a large part of the northern country. Since announcing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in July, the Houthis have been launching attacks on the kingdom. This has opened a new front in the broader war that began with the United States and Israel launching strikes on Iran at the end of February.