Turkiye's FM Fidan maintains Makkah pact is 'defensive' in nature, will not send troops

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Turkiye would not send troops to confront Yemen’s Houthis, while stressing that the Makkah defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was "defensive", not offensive in nature and did not authorise attacks on other countries.

On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised their longstanding strategic relationship through the newly signed Makkah pact, a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability.

Speaking at a joint ​press conference with his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orban in Ankara, Fidan said that the Makkah agreement provided for mutual defence if one of its signatories came under attack, further clarifying that the pact did not authorise Turkiye to deploy troops to another country's territory to carry out an attack.

"But this is a defensive agreement. When a country party ​to the pact comes under attack, you stand by it in its defence. This is not an offensive ‌agreement. ⁠Turkiye will not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory," he said.

"Yemen's legitimate government forces are already continuing the battle on the ground, and Saudi Arabia ​is supporting them. But at the same time, we are doing everything we can to help resolve the issue through peace and dialogue," Fidan added.

The Turkish FM underlined that military officials were assessing possible contributions, particularly in air defence, electronic warfare and technical support, further noting that they would determine Saudi Arabia's operational defence needs and what contributions Turkiye and Pakistan could make.

On Wednesday, two officials told Reuters that Turkiye was sending mainly defensive ​and technical support to ​Saudi Arabia to help ⁠its fight with Houthis.

Turkiye officials have said any support provided at this stage would largely be in a bilateral capacity, as ​Turkiye's parliament had not officially ratified the joint defence pact.

Fidan further stated that Turkiye had completed preparations to submit the Makkah defence agreement to parliament for approval. "The necessary work for the agreement to be submitted to parliament has been completed."

He said he made a final presentation on the matter to Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday and that Turkiye had decided to send the agreement to parliament as soon as possible.

Fidan said Turkiye's participation in the October 5 meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence in Riyadh was primarily prompted by attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

He said the extraordinary meeting also addressed several institutional issues, including the structure of the military headquarters, the status of the secretariat and the appointment of a new secretary.

Although the agreement was signed relatively recently, Fidan said institutionalisation and practical steps had advanced rapidly.

“The parties are showing through their determination that they are serious about this and want to see concrete results,” he said.

Fidan said the meeting also discussed possible Turkish contributions to Saudi Arabia's defence against attacks by Yemen's Houthi group.

Turkiye, which has NATO's second-largest army and a robust ⁠defence industry, ​has condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, voiced willingness ​to help meet Riyadh's technical military needs, and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety ​in the Red Sea.

Fidan’s remarks came after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye activated the practical implementation of their collective defence commitments on Monday.

Read: Makkah defence alliance agrees to 'rapid force deployment' in Saudi Arabia: FO

According to a joint statement issued on Monday night, the activation entailed immediate deployment of "the agreed military forces and capabilities to the kingdom in response to security threats".

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee of the alliance, held in Riyadh to discuss the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is currently engaged in an active conflict with Houthis, who have been targeting the various strategic and economic assets in the kingdom.

On Wednesday, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistani troops were present in Saudi Arabia in "multiple capabilities" amid the kingdom's conflict with Yemen's Houthis and developments related to it.

Read More: Makkah pact: DG ISPR says Pakistani troops present in Saudi Arabia in 'multiple capabilities'

In an interview with CNN, the military spokesperson was questioned about whether Pakistani military personnel were present in the kingdom as part of the Makkah Defence Alliance, to which he said: "I do confirm that the forces of Pakistan are already there ... the Pakistani troops have been there for decades in multiple capabilities."

The DG ISPR reiterated that forces were present in "multiple domains" in the kingdom.

Significance of the Makkah pact

The Makkah pact was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Turkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact is built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.