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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Saudi Arabia may require military-level support amid its ongoing conflict with Houthi forces in Yemen, and that Türkiye, as part of the Mecca Alliance, would take up the matter with Pakistan and could provide the necessary technical assistance.
Speaking in a live interview on Turkish broadcaster NTV, Fidan said Riyadh's territorial integrity and sovereignty had come under serious attack, and that Türkiye, bound by its alliance commitments, stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
"Saudi Arabia may need military-level support. As the Mecca Alliance, we will take this up with Pakistan and can provide the necessary technical support," Fidan said.
He added that Türkiye's foreign ministry condemned attacks on oil infrastructure near Mecca and said the alliance was closely monitoring the situation, noting that any military needs would likely center on specific technical areas.
Fidan said the Mecca Alliance, a regional grouping he described as open to countries in the region, is moving forward quickly on the strength of what he called a very strong collective will. He said the remaining steps involve deploying personnel and establishing a headquarters, and that new membership talks are expected once those institutional steps are completed.
Responding to Israeli and Iranian commentary suggesting the alliance exists only on paper, Fidan dismissed the claims, noting that Türkiye has been a NATO member since 1952. He said such remarks reflected the threat perception of those making them and predicted the alliance would prove to be a "game changer."
Fidan said Houthi forces had nearly gained control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, calling the situation increasingly complex.
He said talks between the United States and Iran have been stalled for several months, with both sides now interpreting the ongoing process differently in their own favor.
He said he hoped new proposals would be accepted, warning that the economic fallout from the crisis had begun to exceed tolerable levels.
Fidan noted that many initiatives exist to resolve the standoff but stressed that they must produce results accepted by the relevant parties.
Turning to Israel, Fidan said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was seeking to portray himself as indispensable to strengthen his domestic political position, and that hostility toward Türkiye was a byproduct of that effort. "We are not taking this lightly," he said.
He said Türkiye hoped Israel would adopt a foreign policy built on peace, mutual respect and cooperation, warning that the alternative would leave Israel increasingly isolated and forced to bear the cost alongside the region.
He said Israel poses a threat "not just to the region but to the world," and added that the broader international community is searching, in unison, for ways to counter Netanyahu's policies.
Fidan said Türkiye knows its own strategic position well and calculates its steps carefully, and stressed that Ankara never acts alone, pointing to its regional partnerships. He said Türkiye would not be drawn into what he called cheap provocations, and expressed confidence that an appropriate response would be given for as long as Israel's conduct continued, adding that he believed the broader process would ultimately favor the Palestinian people.
Fidan discussed his recent visit to Syria, where he met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He said the two countries must review a large number of shared issues at regular intervals given their 911-kilometer shared border, whose stability, security and development matter to Ankara.
He said he conveyed messages from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and that the talks covered regional stability, risks, the integration process and counterterrorism cooperation. Among the concrete outcomes of the visit, Turkish will remain an elective subject in the Syrian curriculum.
On the integration of armed groups, including the SDF, into Syria's state structures, Fidan said both sides appear to want the process to move forward in a controlled manner, though it must be monitored carefully until all conditions are met and the process is completed.
On Gaza, Fidan said the ceasefire process has failed to move from its first phase into its second, roughly a month after implementation began.
He said Hamas had met its obligations, albeit with difficulty, while Israel had not and was instead introducing new demands.
He said Israel's obstruction was preventing progress and that humanitarian aid was not being delivered at the necessary pace, including Israeli restrictions on the entry of housing materials and prefabricated structures needed for shelter in Gaza. He also said many Arab countries hold reservations about Hamas because of its character.
On the Black Sea, Fidan said Türkiye has sent de-escalation proposals to the parties involved and is awaiting a response, though he said a lasting resolution currently appears difficult.
He framed the choice facing both sides as either continuing a war whose destructiveness has been sufficiently recognized until it burns itself out, or reaching a reasonable settlement to stop further mutual destruction.
He said the top priority remained restoring grain exports from the Black Sea, noting that, unlike energy, grain is a product sold by both sides in the conflict.
On the Aegean, Fidan said Türkiye's relationship with Greece has become entangled in Greek domestic politics, with some Greek officials using Türkiye as a political talking point, particularly as Greece heads toward an election atmosphere.
He said Ankara had reached a shared understanding with the current Greek government to manage disputes and avoid surprises, but that opposition parties in Greece continue to target the government on the issue.
He said Turkish armed forces and coast guard units remain in a sensitive position and expressed hope that no reckless action would be taken, adding that Erdogan has sought to resolve outstanding issues by engaging directly with each successive Greek government.
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