Turkiye says Makkah pact committee to meet in Riyadh tomorrow
- Says meeting to address recent regional developments and stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalisation efforts
A Makkah defence pact committee (Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan) will meet in Riyadh to discuss regional developments, including Iran's suggestion to politically engage Yemen's Houthis.
- Makkah defence pact committee meeting in Riyadh
- Iran's suggestion to engage Yemen's Houthis
- Regional developments and alliance institutionalization
ISTANBUL: A committee of the Makkah defence pact between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday, with Turkish ministers among those attending, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The leader of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced on Sunday the beginning of a major military operation against the Houthis earlier on Sunday, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Friday that Iran had suggested engaging Yemen’s Houthis politically after attacks by the group, an idea that the Makkah defence pact committee would discuss at a meeting in Riyadh this week.
“The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalization efforts,” the Turkish statement said.
It said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and chief of the general staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would attend the meeting of the pact’s strategic political and defence committee, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.