Makkah Alliance Türkiye says defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia nears institutionalisation

Hakan Fidan says the alliance needs personnel and a headquarters before it becomes fully institutionalised, while Türkiye offers technical military support to Saudi Arabia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Makkah Alliance between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has reached an advanced stage, with the deployment of personnel and establishment of a headquarters remaining key steps.

The three countries signed the joint defence agreement on 7 August. Under the pact, an armed attack against one member is to be treated as an attack against all three. The agreement aims to strengthen collective defence, security and regional cooperation.

Speaking in a live interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV, Fidan said there was strong political support for the alliance and suggested that other countries could eventually join.

“The Makkah alliance is at a good stage, and there’s a very strong will behind it,” he said. “The only stage remaining now is to deploy personnel and establish its headquarters.”

Fidan described the alliance as a potentially “game-changing platform” and said discussions on expansion could follow once the pact becomes fully institutionalised.

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The comments come as Saudi Arabia faces intensified attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement. Türkiye has condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with Riyadh.

Fidan said Saudi Arabia could require military assistance under the defence pact, particularly in technical areas.

“Saudi Arabia may need military-level support. As the Makkah alliance, we will take this up with Pakistan and can provide the necessary technical support,” he said.

He added that Türkiye was monitoring the situation closely and had condemned attacks targeting Saudi infrastructure.

Pakistan has previously said that no military response was under discussion in connection with the Houthi attacks, while stressing that it would act under the agreement if required.

Fidan also warned against drawing Saudi Arabia into the wider conflict between Iran and the United States.

“We won’t allow this to be made part of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US. Saudi Arabia should be kept out of this,” he said.

On Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks concerning Türkiye, Fidan accused Netanyahu of seeking to strengthen his domestic political position. He also warned that Israel could face greater international isolation under what he described as Netanyahu’s policies.

“Israel will not only grow increasingly isolated, but will also pay the price for this together with Netanyahu,” Fidan said.

Fidan also addressed efforts to ease tensions around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying several initiatives were under way but needed to produce concrete results.

“There are many initiatives, but these initiatives need to produce certain outcomes through the relevant parties,” he said.