Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday, 19 September 2026, that his country would consider possible Saudi military needs in response to continuing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group, under the joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Ankara considers Saudi Arabia’s military needs
Fidan said in comments to NTV that Saudi Arabia might have certain military needs to counter the attacks, confirming that Ankara would consider those needs in line with the obligations and arrangements set out in the trilateral agreement. The Turkish foreign minister said it was unacceptable to make Saudi Arabia a party to the war between the United States and Iran, adding that Riyadh did not want to become involved in the conflict.
He added that proposals aimed at ending the fighting had been conveyed to all parties, without disclosing their content or who had submitted them. Fidan’s comments came amid Houthi attacks targeting Saudi-linked infrastructure and cargoes in the Red Sea, while Riyadh accused the group of attempting to target Mecca with a drone that it said it had intercepted.
Houthi denial and regional efforts to de-escalate
The Houthis denied targeting the city, as regional parties seek to de-escalate and give diplomatic efforts a chance. Turkish and Pakistani officials had said days before Fidan’s remarks that their countries had not received a Saudi request for military support in response to the Houthi escalation. The ongoing developments represent the first field test of the trilateral defence agreement signed by the three countries in Mecca on 7 August 2026.
The agreement stipulates that any armed attack on one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all of them. It also aims to strengthen collective deterrence and expand defence cooperation between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The foreign and defence ministers and armed forces chiefs of the three countries held the first meeting of the strategic political and defence committee established under the agreement on 31 August 2026. They agreed to take steps to institutionalise cooperation and enhance the effectiveness of joint deterrence and defence. They also decided to establish a secretariat for the agreement in Saudi Arabia, headed for its first three years by a Pakistani secretary-general.
The announced areas of cooperation include supporting defence capabilities, strengthening coordination between the armed forces, cooperation in the defence industries, and the joint development and production of military technology.
