ANKARA: Turkiye, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have jointly condemned Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s international airport, calling them a perilous step up that no excuse can legitimise. The four countries, known as the R4, issued their statement on Sunday, the same day Saudi authorities said a fresh attack on the airport had killed one person and injured close to a dozen others.
The new assault came a day after a strike that the Houthis claimed, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Joint statement backs Saudi measures against Houthis
The group reaffirmed its solidarity with Riyadh and backed every lawful step the kingdom takes to counter the attacks, deter threats and stop them from happening again. In the statement, the countries placed full responsibility on the Houthi militia for the outcome of the strikes and any wider fallout that threatens regional and international peace and security.
They also demanded that the attacks stop immediately and without conditions.
Turkish defence pact role and limits on deployment
Turkiye, a NATO member, and Pakistan, which is nuclear-armed, signed a joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia in August, under which an attack on one party is treated as an attack on all. Last week the countries agreed to honour their collective defence commitments and to move forces and capabilities into Saudi Arabia quickly while the Houthi attacks continue.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara was assessing how it could help Riyadh, but he ruled out deploying troops or joining offensive operations. A day earlier, officials said Turkey was sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia.
So far, Turkish backing has largely been bilateral, because parliament has not yet formally ratified the pact. The agreement is expected to be submitted to parliament in the coming days. Turkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a strong defence industry, has already supplied Saudi Arabia with defence equipment and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition that protects navigation in the Red Sea.
