ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye will not deploy troops to another country's territory to launch an attack, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, stressing the defensive nature of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Fidan said in a televised address that the pact is a defense agreement, "not an attack agreement."
"Türkiye is not going to send its troops to another country's territory and launch an attack there," he said.
On the conflict in Yemen, where the Saudi-backed government forces are fighting the Houthi group, Fidan said Türkiye is "doing everything we can to resolve this through peace and dialogue."
On Aug. 7, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which stipulates that an attack on any signatory will be considered an attack on all.
The three countries on Monday agreed to ensure "the rapid deployment of agreed forces and capabilities" to Saudi Arabia under the pact, as Riyadh faces intensified cross-border strikes launched by the Houthis group. ■