Turkey rules out offensive role under Saudi defense pact

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey would not send troops to attack Yemen from Saudi Arabia, describing any support Ankara provides under a trilateral defense pact as defensive. He also said preparations to submit the agreement to parliament were complete, but gave no date for the submission or for any deployment. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement links Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Under the pact, an armed attack on one signatory is treated as an attack on all. Fidan said Turkish and Saudi military delegations would assess Saudi Arabia’s defense needs and determine what contributions Turkey and Pakistan could make, including possible air-defense support. A joint statement after a committee meeting in Riyadh on October 5 said the three countries would begin implementing their collective-defense commitments and take steps to provide agreed forces and capabilities for rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia. It did not specify the number of personnel, the equipment involved, a schedule or which country would provide particular forces.