Turkey not to deploy troops abroad for offensive operations — Fidan
Fidan emphasizes that Turkey will not participate in offensive operations under the agreement with Saudi Arabia
Quick Look
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the Mecca Alliance is strictly defensive, ruling out Turkish troop deployment for offensive operations.
- The agreement focuses on mutual defense and protecting Saudi infrastructure against Houthi attacks.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Mecca Alliance is a defense-oriented agreement between regional powers. It follows reports of potential Turkish military support to protect Saudi infrastructure from Houthi attacks.
ANKARA, October 8. /TASS/. The Mecca Alliance is exclusively defensive, and Turkey will not deploy troops to other countries to participate in offensive operations under the agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
"I want to state clearly that this agreement concerns defense only. When a signatory country comes under attack, you must stand by it and defend it. This is not an agreement to launch attacks. Turkey will not deploy troops to another country to carry out an attack," he said at a news conference in Ankara with his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orban.
Fidan added that cooperation under the Mecca agreement "is developing, and military delegations will work together to determine what defensive measures [Saudi Arabia] requires in the operational theater and what contributions Pakistan and Turkey can make."
"Saudi Arabia already has extensive military and technical infrastructure. It possesses a large amount of equipment, weapons and defensive assets acquired over the years. However, joint planning, operations and analysis are also important," Fidan said.
According to the minister, Turkey "is doing everything possible to ensure that the situation is resolved through peace and dialogue." "Saudi Arabia is receiving constructive support in this regard. But I repeat: our agreement is defensive in nature. When a participating country comes under attack, you stand alongside it to defend it," he reiterated.
Fidan added that Turkey views the situation surrounding Saudi Arabia and the Houthi attacks in the broader regional context. "We are trying to understand what we can do politically [to resolve the situation] between the parties at the international level and bring greater peace to the region. There is also Iran, the war Iran is waging with America, and other issues. We are trying to consider all of this as part of the broader picture," he said.
Middle East Eye earlier reported, citing Turkish officials, that Ankara was considering deploying a limited military contingent and equipment to Saudi Arabia to protect critical infrastructure and holy cities from Houthi attacks. According to the publication, the plans do not envisage Turkey’s direct participation in combat operations in Yemen.
Open Questions
- What specific defensive measures will Turkey and Pakistan provide?
- How will Iran respond to the strengthening of the Mecca Alliance?
