Türkiye Says It Can Meet Saudi Arabia's Military Needs As Houthi Tensions Escalate In West Asia

· Free Press Journal

Ankara [Türkiye], September 20: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Ankara would have “no difficulty” meeting Saudi Arabia’s military needs under the Mecca Alliance, as Türkiye closely monitors escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement amid the widening conflict in West Asia.

Türkiye monitors regional tensions

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Speaking to Turkish broadcaster NTV on Friday, Fidan said Ankara was evaluating the security situation and stressed that Saudi Arabia should not be drawn into the wider conflict between Iran and the United States.

“Saudi Arabia should be excluded from this equation because they are not seeking to participate,” Fidan said, adding that Türkiye was closely monitoring developments as a member of the Mecca Alliance.

“At this point, as members of the Mecca Alliance, we are closely monitoring the situation. We have some discussions that haven't been made public. Their military needs may be related to certain technical matters. We would have no difficulty meeting those needs,” he said.

Fidan was responding to questions about whether Saudi Arabia had sought support following Houthi attacks and whether the Mecca Alliance could potentially provide military assistance to the Kingdom.

Alliance support discussed

He said the confrontation with the Houthis had continued for around a decade and recalled that a ceasefire agreement had been reached in 2022. However, he said the situation became complicated again following events in Gaza.

Fidan said Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity, sovereignty and infrastructure were facing serious attacks and linked Türkiye's position to its commitments under the alliance.

“When we look at our agreement, countries have a responsibility to each other as allies,” he said, adding that Türkiye's leadership had demonstrated a commitment to its agreements.

“Our President is also a leader who keeps his word. There is an agreement that we have signed as a state. We are in solidarity on this issue. We are especially evaluating the situation analyses,” Fidan said.

He also recalled that the Turkish Foreign Ministry had condemned the attacks, specifically highlighting attacks targeting Mecca and oil infrastructure.

Houthis claim Saudi attacks

The remarks follow Houthis' claims as they took responsibility for attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

In a statement on Telegram, the Houthis claimed that their forces had carried out two military operations using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, targeting civilian infrastructure in Riyadh and Yanbu.

"In response to the Saudi enemy's criminal attempts to target the capital, Sana'a, using ISIS-style tactics, including indiscriminate bombings targeting civilians. the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Both operations were successful, by the grace of Allah, and resulted in massive fires at the targeted locations," the statement read.

This is the first time the Houthi have targeted the Kingdom's capital amid the conflict.

US-Iran talks remain stalled

Fidan also addressed the wider regional crisis, saying efforts to reduce tensions were continuing but that negotiations between Washington and Tehran remained stalled.

"There has been a deadlock in US-Iran talks for the past few months," Fidan said when asked about initiatives aimed at reducing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

He said the impasse had coincided with a wider expansion of regional military activity, including developments around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Saudi Arabia.

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“In the US-Iran talks, there has been a deadlock in the last few months. As a manifestation of this deadlock, we are seeing not only mutual attacks but also the opening of the Bab el Mandeb Strait from the Yemeni side. We are witnessing an expansionist operation towards Saudi Arabia. Now it is becoming increasingly complex,” Fidan said.

He said Türkiye was directing its efforts towards helping bring the US-Iran negotiations to a conclusion, while pointing to a lack of trust between the two sides.

“We are focusing all our efforts on bringing the ongoing US-Iran negotiations to a conclusion, but there is a great deal of distrust between the parties,” he said.

According to Fidan, the two sides had previously reached a consensus in Pakistan, but disagreements subsequently emerged over implementation.

“They had reached a consensus in Pakistan, but then setbacks emerged in its implementation. Now both sides have begun to interpret the ongoing process in a way that benefits them,” he said.

Fidan said different interpretations and new proposals had since been presented to the parties and expressed hope that they would be accepted.

Economic impact highlighted

He also highlighted the economic consequences of the continuing crisis, particularly disruptions to energy routes. Fidan said the impact was becoming increasingly difficult for some affected countries to absorb.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said there was a “serious bottleneck in energy routes”, creating a significant economic management challenge for countries such as Türkiye that rely on imported energy to sustain their industries and economies.

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Mecca Alliance expands

Fidan also said the Mecca Alliance was moving towards institutionalisation, with work on its organisational structure and military headquarters nearing completion.

"There are currently steps being taken towards institutionalization," Fidan said, describing the alliance as being at a good stage of development.

He said the establishment of the secretariat envisaged in the agreement and the creation of a military headquarters under its command were nearly complete.

“Currently, steps are being taken towards institutionalisation. In particular, the work on establishing the secretariat mentioned in the agreement and bringing a military headquarters under its command to life is almost complete. We have reached a consensus. Now, all that remains is to send personnel and for the headquarters to operate. I am satisfied with the process in that regard,” Fidan said.

He said the alliance remained open to other regional countries, with discussions on bringing in additional members expected after the institutionalisation process.

Saudi Arabia Issues 1st Air Alert In Riyadh As Fighting Escalates With Yemen’s Houthis

Regional defence vision

Fidan said the broader objective was to develop a common regional defence framework without creating additional divisions.

“We have this principled decision because our President has stated it from the beginning. If this area doesn't grow, it won't be an alliance area. We would be creating polarisation," he said.

He described the alliance's broader regional vision as one in which countries work together to address security challenges through regional mechanisms.

“Our regional vision is for as many countries as possible in the region to come together and establish a common defence area,” Fidan said.

He added that the proposed framework was intended not simply to respond to external threats but to address internal regional problems and prevent new crises.

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“This defence area is not actually against external threats but rather aims to better resolve internal problem areas through a regional ownership approach. It aims to prevent the emergence of new crises by creating an environment of trust that hasn't been established until now. The starting point of all this is essentially the search for regional solutions to regional problems,” Fidan said.

Fidan's remarks come as Türkiye monitors the Saudi-Houthi confrontation alongside the broader US-Iran crisis, while Ankara continues to emphasise regional diplomacy, alliance coordination and efforts to contain the economic and security repercussions of the conflict.

The trilateral pact, known as the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, was signed in Mecca on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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