Turkey and Pakistan reported this Monday that they will deploy troops in support of Saudi Arabia after the kingdom, with which they share the Alliance of Mecca, denounced attacks by the Houthi rebels from Yemen against its territory.
The Defense Committee of the Alliance of Mecca "has decided to immediately implement the commitments of collective defense and adopt the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and means to ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom," the alliance indicated in a joint statement released by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
According to this text, the sending of troops will be carried out "in accordance with the approved agreements and the national legislation of the parties" with the aim of "improving the readiness, military integration, and collective capacity to face and counter threats."
The Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, has ratified the implementation of "collective deterrence measures" by the Alliance of Mecca in reaction to the attacks by Houthi militias against Saudi territory.
"Our countries are united and activate collective deterrence against aggression against the Kingdom," Bin Salman stated after an emergency meeting of the Committee of Strategic Policy and Defense held in Riyadh, according to the official Saudi agency, SPA.
These actions "confirm the unity of the three countries and their determined defense of security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" in line with what is stipulated in the military agreement.
Joint response to threats against Saudi Arabia
The joint statement details that the urgent meeting was convened due to "the threats facing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and condemns "in the strongest terms" the attacks against Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places in Islam, as well as against "cities, civilians, and economic facilities" of the country.
At the same time, Turkey and Pakistan emphasize the "vigilance," "readiness," "professionalism and high level of competence demonstrated" by the Saudi armed forces in the face of these incidents.
At the meeting, the three states also agreed to appoint Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmud as the first Secretary General of the alliance, with a three-year mandate.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, present in Riyadh, has highlighted the completion of the "institutionalization" of the Mecca Alliance despite the extraordinary nature of the meeting. Fidan specified that the meeting was already scheduled, but that the recent events in Yemen and Saudi Arabia prompted its urgent celebration.
According to Fidan, the participants analyzed the type of support they can offer to Saudi Arabia regarding Yemen and reviewed possible ways to channel the Yemeni crisis through dialogue.
The Joint Defense Agreement of Mecca was signed on August 7 in the Saudi holy city and establishes that any aggression against one of the three members will be considered an attack against all of them.