Turkiye, Pakistan military chiefs hold talks as Houthi attacks test Makkah defence pact
Turkiye's chief of the general staff, general Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir ( Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
New Delhi: Turkiye’s chief of the general staff, general Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, held a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Tuesday, October 13, discussing bilateral relations and regional developments. The contact came amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and efforts by Ankara, Islamabad and Riyadh to implement their trilateral Makkah defence agreement.
The Turkish general staff, confirmed the conversation but provided no details beyond the broad subjects discussed. The commanders had previously met in Rawalpindi in January and Ankara in July, where discussions focused on bilateral defence cooperation and regional security.
Houthi attacks put Makkah defence commitments to test
The latest exchange follows missile and drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthis against Saudi civilian infrastructure, including Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. The attacks have intensified the conflict involving Saudi Arabia and the Houthis while the wider region remains affected by the continuing US-Iran confrontation and disruption to maritime trade.
Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, committing to regard an armed attack against one signatory as an attack against all three.
At an emergency meeting in Riyadh on October 5, the alliance agreed to activate collective defence arrangements and prepare forces and military capabilities for rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia. The joint statement specified that implementation would follow each country’s national legislation, without disclosing troop numbers, operational missions or deployment timelines.
Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, subsequently ruled out offensive military operations against the Houthis, saying Ankara was examining assistance involving air defence, electronic warfare and technical support.
The president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on Monday that the agreement would be submitted to Turkiye’s parliament for ratification in the coming days.
Pakistan has separately agreed to deploy additional military personnel to Saudi Arabia, although the operational arrangements remain undisclosed. The decision has also raised questions over parliamentary oversight and Islamabad’s efforts to maintain relations with Iran, according to Reuters.
Defence ties extend from warships to special forces training
Turkiye and Pakistan maintain extensive military cooperation involving defence manufacturing, joint exercises and personnel training.
Their industrial partnership includes the four-corvette Milgem naval programme, contracted in 2018. Under the agreement, two vessels were to be constructed in Turkiye and two at Karachi Shipyard, with provisions for technology transfer and design cooperation.
The military cooperation also includes Exercise Jinnah 2026, conducted from March 29 to April 10 at Isparta and Ankara. The joint commando and special forces training focused on exchanging operational experience and strengthening capabilities in specialized military operations.
The latest telephone conversation follows these established military exchanges as both countries assess their defence commitments amid deteriorating Gulf security. Neither military has announced any new agreement or confirmed whether the Makkah pact, Saudi deployments or operational plans were specifically discussed during Tuesday’s call.
