Turkey says Makkah pact committee to meet in Riyadh on October 5

ISTANBUL: A committee of the Makkah defence pact between Turkey, 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 Iran-backed Houthis earlier on Sunday, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.

Pakistan’s foreign minister 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 institutionalisation 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.

Pakistan in September announced the appointment Lt-Gen (retd) Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

“The government of Pakistan is pleased to announce the appointment of Lt-Gen Nauman Mahmood, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), as the first secretary general pursuant to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Pakistan remains committed “in intent and spirit” to implementing the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi, but operational details about when, where and how the country would respond to threats will remain confidential, Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan said on Thursday.

Responding to a question about Pakistan’s obligations under the agreement amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Khan said Islamabad was committed to implementing the pact as well as the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.

“However, when, how, where, and what force will be used against what objectives, in which modes, and matters of operational confidentiality require us some discreetness at this stage,” he said at his weekly press briefing.