Makkah pact committee to meet in Riyadh today: Turkey

A committee of the Makkah defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will hold talks in ‌Riyadh on Monday, with Turkish ministers among those attending, the Turkish foreign ministry said as the fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi militia escalates.

The leader of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government ​announced on Sunday the beginning of ⁠a major military operation against the Iran-backed ​Houthis earlier on Sunday, aimed at seizing ​the territory under their control.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Friday that Iran had suggested engaging Yemen’s ​Houthis politically after attacks by the ​group, an idea that the Makkah defence pact ‌committee ⁠would discuss at a meeting in Riyadh this week.

“The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage ​reached in ​the Alliance’s ⁠institutionalisation efforts,” the Turkish statement said.

It said Turkish Foreign Minister ​Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler ​and ⁠chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would attend the meeting of the ⁠pact’s ​strategic political and defence ​committee, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.