Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said attacks directed at Saudi Arabia from different directions constituted a security problem extending beyond the country's borders. Fidan described attacks from the south and north, as well as strikes by attackers based in Iraq, as unacceptable.
According to Fidan, the impact of the attacks is not limited to Saudi Arabia's security. In addition to regional stability, critical infrastructure is also among the targets threatened by these attacks.
Threats from the south were assessed in connection with the long-running problem in Yemen. Attacks from the north were linked to actions directed at Saudi Arabia by groups based in Iraq.
Considering these two directions together presented Riyadh as facing not only attacks against its own territory but also broader security pressure from armed structures operating in neighboring countries.
The Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement process
Fidan linked his assessment to the approach of the structure publicly known as the Mecca Alliance and said that Türkiye was acting in line with its spirit. The official name used by the Foreign Ministry is the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement. The agreement aims to institutionalize political and defense cooperation among Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
One of the process's key steps was taken in Mecca on August 7, 2026. In his assessment on August 8, Hakan Fidan said the process discussed with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was publicly known as the Mecca Alliance. Fidan said the three countries aimed to establish a joint security structure.
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement was held in Istanbul on August 31, 2026. The meeting, held after the agreement was signed, marked the first official step toward shaping the institutional structure.
The structure is not viewed as limited to military cooperation. Regional security, political consultations and joint threat assessments are also among the issues covered by the process.
Fidan's latest statement showed that cooperation among Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was directly linked to Yemen, Iraq and regional stability. Threats against Saudi Arabia from different directions were considered a regional issue not only in terms of the country's security but also the protection of energy and other critical infrastructure.
