Turkey expressed readiness to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia

Turkey has declared its readiness to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that military needs may arise in Saudi Arabia due to Houthi attacks, and Ankara is ready to meet them.

"We see very serious attacks on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Saudi Arabia. We have an alliance agreement in our pact. We stand united on this issue... They may have certain military needs, especially regarding some technical matters. Meeting them poses no difficulty for us," Fidan said.

According to the minister, this refers to fulfilling alliance obligations under the Mecca joint defense agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan in August. According to the document, an armed attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on all of them. However, the agreement does not detail specific mechanisms for a military response.

At the same time, Fidan emphasized that Saudi Arabia cannot be dragged into a war between the US and Iran. He stated that Riyadh does not want to be a party to this conflict, and Turkey has conveyed new proposals to the parties to cease hostilities.

"There are many initiatives, but the parties must accept them. There are new proposals, and I hope they will accept them. Otherwise, the crisis can be tolerated for a certain period, but the economic consequences have already begun to go beyond limits," said the Turkish Foreign Minister.

The conflict between the parties escalated after Saudi Arabia prevented an Iranian plane from landing at Sana'a airport in July. On board were high-ranking Houthi officials returning from the funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Following this, the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabian tankers in the Red Sea, threatening a route crucial for the kingdom's oil exports. Last week, they seized islands near the Red Sea port city and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is vital for Saudi Arabia's oil exports and is seen as an alternative sea route to the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Reuters sources, Saudi Arabia turned to China for help in influencing the Houthis. Following this, Beijing pressured Iran to restrain the Houthis. In response to this appeal, the Iranian side stated that stability and peace in the region depend on stopping the US and Israeli war against Iran. Pakistan, a member of the Mecca agreement, has expressed its readiness to fulfill its obligations.