Hakan Fidan Defends Makkah Defence Pact, Cites NATO Article 5

NEW YORK: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has defended the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, saying it is too early to judge the newly established defence framework on the basis of the decade-long Yemen crisis.

Speaking at a seminar in New York, Fidan responded to criticism of the agreement and questioned whether a newly established defence alliance should be expected to immediately resolve a conflict that has continued for around 10 years.

Fidan Responds to Critics

During the discussion, Fidan addressed former US Ambassador to Türkiye James Jeffrey and asked how many times NATO’s Article 5 on collective defence had been invoked during Jeffrey’s roughly five decades of experience.

The response was that Article 5 had formally been invoked only once.

Fidan used the example to argue that the Makkah agreement should not be dismissed or judged prematurely because of the ongoing situation in Yemen.

Makkah Pact Aims to Strengthen Regional Security

Fidan said Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had a roadmap for developing the defence framework and that the agreement was intended to strengthen cooperation while respecting the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the participating countries.

He said the agreement had been under discussion for several years before the three countries reached an understanding.

The pact was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in August and provides for collective defence in the event of an armed attack against one of the members.

Yemen Crisis Should Not Define New Alliance

Fidan also rejected the idea that the newly established defence arrangement should be expected to immediately resolve the long-running Yemen conflict.

He said the regional security framework had only recently begun its institutional development and that its effectiveness should be assessed over time.

The comments came amid renewed attacks by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia, which have increased regional security concerns and placed the new defence agreement under greater scrutiny.