Riyadh, Oct 6:
Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to prepare for the rapid deployment of troops and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia as part of a new mutual defence arrangement, amid escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Mecca defence pact involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. The three countries agreed to activate collective deterrence measures in response to attacks against the kingdom.
The pact, signed in August, commits the three countries to support one another if any member faces an attack. It brings together Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military, Pakistan, the world’s only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority state, and Saudi Arabia, a major Gulf power.
The latest decision comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces intensify their offensive against the Houthis and the rebels claim attacks on Saudi targets. The alliance is expected to coordinate military and diplomatic responses as tensions rise in the region.