🔶 Turkey condemns Houthi attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia

Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, October 9 (Mehr 17), in a statement, strongly condemned Houthi attacks on the Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

While expressing sympathy for the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, Ankara emphasized its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Turkey’s foreign ministry warned that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure increase the risk of escalation of tensions in the region and must be stopped immediately. Ankara also called for resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.

Turkey, along with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, is among the members of the Mecca Joint Defense Pact; under which any armed attack on one of the member states is considered an attack on all members of the pact.

Following recent Houthi attacks, reports have been published about the activation of this pact. However, Turkey’s military involvement depends on approval by that country’s parliament, and Ankara, under current conditions, has emphasized providing defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia.

Turkey is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Turkey’s possible entry into the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran-supported Houthis could have consequences beyond the region and change the military and security equations of this conflict.