First test of the “Muslim NATO”: Turkey will not send troops to attack the Houthis
Turkey has ruled out sending troops to Yemen for offensive operations against Houthi forces, while remaining ready to provide assistance for the defense of Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on October 8. The announcement marks out the practical limits of the Turkish–Saudi–Pakistani cooperation often referred to as the “Muslim NATO”: Ankara is willing to provide defensive support, but will not enter the war in Yemen as an attacking party.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, Fidan stressed that the agreement is defensive in nature, so supporting an ally under attack does not mean carrying out strikes on another country's territory. Turkish and Saudi military delegations are assessing what kind of assistance Riyadh needs, particularly in the fields of air defense, electronic warfare and technical support.
The three countries signed the joint defense agreement in Mecca in August, under which an armed attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all of them. On October 5, they already agreed on the immediate implementation of their collective defense commitments and on the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia, but the latest Turkish statement makes clear that Ankara does not interpret this as authorization for military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. The legal basis for the cooperation in Turkey has also not been fully settled, since parliament has not yet ratified the agreement, which is why, according to Turkish officials, the current assistance can mainly take place within a bilateral framework. Fidan said that preparations for parliamentary approval are largely complete and that the document would be submitted as soon as possible.
Ankara had already condemned on October 1 the Houthi attack on civilian infrastructure serving the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia, while urging that steps further escalating tension in the region be avoided. There is thus no talk for now of the alliance falling apart, but the first serious crisis has shown that Ankara draws a firm distinction between the promise of collective defense and taking on a war on the side of an ally.
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