Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Ankara is ready to provide technical military support under the new Makkah Defence Alliance, but the offer does not automatically mean Turkish troops will deploy to Saudi Arabia.
By HERVOX
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| Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Türkiye is ready to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs under the Makkah Defence Alliance. |
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Türkiye is prepared to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs as Riyadh faces intensifying attacks from Yemen’s Houthi movement.
Fidan made the statement on Saturday, September 19, during an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV. He said Saudi Arabia was facing serious attacks on its territorial integrity and sovereignty and that Türkiye was ready to respond to possible military requirements, particularly in technical areas.
The offer comes under the Makkah Defence Alliance, a trilateral security arrangement involving Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan. The agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7 and provides that an armed attack against one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three.
What could Türkiye’s offer mean in practice?
Fidan’s wording points first to technical military assistance rather than an immediate Turkish combat deployment. He specifically referred to possible Saudi military needs involving technical issues and said Türkiye would have no difficulty meeting them.
That could potentially involve defence-related expertise, equipment, technology, maintenance or other military support, although Fidan did not publicly specify what Saudi Arabia has requested or what Ankara would provide. It would therefore be premature to interpret the statement as a commitment to send Turkish forces into Yemen or Saudi Arabia.
The distinction is important because the Makkah agreement establishes a framework for collective defence, but its practical response mechanism is not identical to an automatic military intervention. Fidan previously said that a country facing an attack would request assistance and specify the type of support it needed.
The alliance is also still being institutionalised. At its first Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting in Istanbul on August 31, the three countries agreed to establish a secretariat in Riyadh, initially headed by a Pakistani secretary-general. They also agreed to strengthen defence cooperation, including joint activities, defence-industry cooperation and technology development.
The immediate pressure on Riyadh has increased sharply. Saudi Arabia said a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh on September 19 was intercepted, while other attacks have targeted areas and infrastructure across the kingdom. Saudi officials have also been seeking additional air-defence support as the conflict intensifies.
Pakistan, the third member of the alliance, has also reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia, although Islamabad has said that no military response under the pact is currently being discussed.
For now, therefore, Türkiye’s announcement is best understood as a readiness to provide military and technical assistance within the new alliance framework, rather than confirmation of an imminent Turkish military operation. The precise form of assistance would depend on Saudi Arabia’s requirements and subsequent decisions by the alliance members.