Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey is weighing defensive help for Saudi Arabia under the Mecca pact with Pakistan, and ruled out sending troops to attack another country.
Turkey is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen's Houthis under a joint defence pact with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, while ruling out an offensive role. He spoke at a joint press conference in Ankara with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August. An armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. On Monday the three said they had agreed to move immediately to implement collective defence commitments and to ensure rapid deployment of forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Fidan said the pact is defensive. He said Turkey will not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory, and that military officials were looking at possible contributions in air defence, electronic warfare and technical support. He said Yemen's recognised government forces were already fighting on the ground with Saudi support.
Turkish officials have said any support at this stage would largely be bilateral because parliament has not ratified the pact. Fidan said work was largely complete to send the agreement to parliament and that the aim was to do so as soon as possible. TRT World reported he gave a final presentation to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.
The comments set a limit on Turkey's role. They do not announce a troop deployment or a date for parliamentary approval.
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- Hakan Fidan said the Mecca pact is defensive and that Turkey will not send troops into another country to carry out attacks.