The governments of Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to put into effect immediately the mutual defence agreement signed in Mecca in August, and to “take the necessary measures”, including the “rapid deployment of forces and military assets”, after a meeting in Riyadh.
A joint statement issued by the three countries said the purpose of the meeting was to review security developments and the threats facing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The text does not name the Houthis. It does, however, condemn “in the strongest terms” attacks on Medina and Mecca, Islam’s two holiest cities, which Riyadh has attributed to the Yemeni movement, as well as the “continuing attacks on cities and on political and economic facilities” in the kingdom.
It is the first time the agreement has been announced as being put into effect. The pact links Saudi Arabia with Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO, and with Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim state.
