Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee held a productive extraordinary meeting, where members considered both defense measures for Saudi Arabia and efforts to resolve tensions involving Yemen through dialogue.
Fidan said constructive proposals were presented on military, operational and technical matters, while Saudi Arabia adopted a highly constructive approach toward resolving the Yemen issue peacefully.
Speaking to Turkish media after the meeting in Istanbul, Fidan said participants discussed in detail what kind of support could be provided to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defense capabilities.
“We discussed in detail what kind of support could be provided for Saudi Arabia’s defense and, on the other hand, what could be done to resolve the issue peacefully and through dialogue,” Fidan said.
He explained that the extraordinary session was convened amid recent developments involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.
Fidan said Riyadh had presented its position to the alliance partners during closed-door consultations. He described Saudi Arabia’s approach to efforts aimed at resolving the conflict as “very constructive.”
Diplomatic efforts to resolve Yemen conflict
Alongside military and operational discussions, the participants examined measures to address the Yemen conflict through negotiations and peaceful means.
Fidan said the discussions reflected a dual approach: strengthening Saudi Arabia’s defensive capabilities while exploring diplomatic avenues to prevent further escalation and seek a negotiated resolution. He also said the participants shared their views on the situation, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had demonstrated a clear political will on the issue.
“[President Erdogan] put forward a clear will on this issue, and as a reflection of that will, we took a number of decisions here,” Fidan said.
The meeting also marked an important step in formalizing the institutional structure of the Makkah Defense Alliance.
Fidan said organizational work under the defense pact signed on August 7 had entered its final stages, with participants discussing the structure of the secretariat, administrative protocols and the appointment of a secretary-general.
A candidate proposed by Pakistan for the secretary-general position was approved during the meeting. The nominee was later confirmed as Lt Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood, who will serve a three-year term overseeing the alliance’s secretariat.
Military coordination takes center stage
Türkiye’s National Defense Minister and senior military commanders also attended the meeting, bringing military and technical expertise to the discussions.
According to Fidan, the officials contributed particularly to deliberations concerning military, operational and technical matters, with constructive proposals put forward regarding the alliance’s future operational framework.
The discussions therefore covered both the alliance’s long-term institutional development and possible immediate response mechanisms concerning the situation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The trilateral alliance comprises Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and was formally established through a defense pact signed on August 7.
Following the agreement, the three member states began taking steps to institutionalize the alliance and establish its administrative and operational framework.
Monday’s extraordinary session was held alongside a previously planned meeting on institutionalization, making it the first ministerial-level gathering to address both the alliance’s bureaucratic implementation and emerging regional security concerns.
Fidan described the meeting as productive, saying the decisions reached represented further progress in establishing the alliance’s structure while addressing the immediate security situation involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
