Mecca Defense Agreement in operation... Will we expand the war?

Mecca Defense Agreement in operation... Will we expand the war?

(Johannesburg = Yonhap News) Correspondent Na Confirmation = Turkiye and Pakistan have decided to quickly deploy troops to Saudi Arabia, which is under attack by pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The 'Mecca Joint Defense Agreement' signed in August by the three Sunni Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan, appears to be in practical operation.

According to AFP on the 5th (local time), the representatives of these three countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and said, "We reaffirmed our position that we firmly reject any attack or threat to Saudi Arabia's security and territorial integrity."

He added, "We decided to immediately begin the practical implementation of our collective defense commitments, provide the agreed military forces and capabilities, and take the necessary steps to quickly deploy them to Saudi Arabia."

Although they did not mention the Houthis directly, they said they were paying attention to recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, especially those targeting the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina.

The statement did not reveal specific details, such as the size of the troops to be deployed in Saudi Arabia or what role they will play.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan Turkiye, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and the defense ministers of the three countries.

These three countries signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on August 7.

In a joint statement at the time, the three countries said, "We signed a treaty to strengthen our collective deterrence against all acts of aggression," and that "an armed attack against any of the three countries is considered an attack against all."

This agreement attracted attention in that it unites Turkmenistan, which has the second-largest military power in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Pakistan, the only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, and Saudi Arabia, a powerhouse in the Gulf region that contains Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

The foreign ministers of these three countries held a three-party meeting on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York on the 25th of last month and issued a statement condemning the Houthi rebels' attacks on key facilities in Mecca and Saudi Arabia.