By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke by phone on October 19 about Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Four days earlier, a Saudi official had accused Iran of encouraging the attacks, a charge Tehran rejected.
The Saudi Press Agency said the ministers condemned the attacks and discussed regional security. Turkish Foreign Ministry sources also referred to attacks on the kingdom's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Neither side announced a new decision under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on August 7.
On October 15, Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly accused Iran of encouraging the recent Houthi attacks and supplying the movement with weapons and other support. He told the Associated Press that Riyadh had not sought Iranian mediation but maintained direct contact with Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the accusation the next day, saying Tehran was prepared to support talks to settle the conflict in Yemen. On October 19, a Houthi missile struck a Yemeni government training camp in Shabwa, killing at least 53 people, according to the Associated Press.
Mecca Pact deployment measures
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan agreed in Riyadh on October 5 to begin implementing the pact's collective defense commitments. They approved rapid deployment measures for Saudi Arabia and appointed the alliance's first secretary-general. No units or deployment dates were disclosed.
Retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood was appointed for a three-year term. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry confirmed on October 16 that he had assumed his responsibilities, while the secretariat was still being established. Its spokesman said questions about deployment belonged to the military authorities and the secretariat, which will be based in Riyadh.
Fidan said on October 8 that Türkiye had completed preparations to submit the agreement to parliament. He described its obligations as defensive rather than offensive. Reuters reported that Ankara was already providing mainly technical and defensive assistance through bilateral channels.
Iran's membership remarks and Egypt's vote
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera on September 26 that he welcomed the pact as a step toward Muslim unity and that Iran was ready to participate in that process. He acknowledged that Tehran did not know the members' detailed decisions. His remarks preceded the October 5 military measures and were not a formal membership application.
Türkiye's parliamentary speaker, Numan Kurtulmuş, said on September 25 that other Muslim countries, including Iran, could eventually join. He said the pact was not directed against Tehran. None of the three members has announced membership talks with Iran.
At an October 19 news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for regional security arrangements without foreign military intervention. He did not mention the Mecca Pact. Fidan met Araghchi at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation gathering in Baghdad on October 17. Neither government announced talks on Iranian membership in the Mecca Pact.
Egypt faces a separate decision. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi requested parliamentary authorization for military assistance to Saudi Arabia if asked. Lawmakers postponed the vote on a possible troop deployment until October 26. Egypt is not a Mecca Pact member, and its parliament has not authorized the proposed deployment.
Sources: Saudi Press Agency, Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, Bosphorus News review and reporting.