Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia plan urgent defence chiefs' meeting on Houthis

Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia on Friday discussed plans to hold an urgent meeting of their top military chiefs to consider ways to assist Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Defence Alliance, amid increasing attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

The discussion took place during a meeting between Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a statement issued by Pakistan's Foreign Office.

The trilateral defence agreement, signed by the three countries last month, sets out a framework for collective deterrence and says that an armed attack on any one of them will be treated as an attack on all. The Foreign Office said the ministers reviewed progress on setting up the General Secretariat, committees and working groups under the agreement, and preparations for the start of their work.

The statement said the ministers also “discussed plans to convene an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to explore ways to assist the Kingdom under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of its parties shall be considered an attack against all parties.”

The ministers also discussed the regional situation and stressed the need to uphold the principles of law, good neighbourliness, respect for the sovereignty of states and non-interference in internal affairs, while ensuring security and freedom of navigation. The statement said they expressed their resolve to work together for sustainable peace and stability in the region and condemned “in the strongest terms” attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah and civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, Pakistan appointed former Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary-general of the trilateral alliance, as the three countries moved ahead with the new defence arrangement.