Turkish Foreign Minister: 'Mecca Pact' is Defensive, Not Offensive

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the “Makkah Pact” agreement is defensive in nature and not offensive, adding that “Turkey will not send troops to the territory of another state to launch an attack from its soil.” During a press conference with Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Anita Urban in Ankara, Fidan elaborated, “When a state party to the Makkah Pact agreement is attacked, we stand by it to defend it; this is not an agreement for aggression.”

He noted that the necessary procedures to refer the “Makkah Pact” agreement to the Turkish Parliament have been completed, and also mentioned his participation in a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the “Makkah Pact” in Riyadh three days prior. He clarified that the Riyadh meeting addressed “the attacks suffered by Saudi Arabia and the important decisions that need to be taken regarding the institutional framework, including the structure of the military headquarters, the establishment of the General Secretariat, and the appointment of the new Secretary-General, among other items related to the institutional framework.”

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Fidan stressed the necessity of preventing the Black Sea from becoming a new conflict front, noting that the war remains one of the most prominent threats to regional and global stability. He added, “We have made significant efforts since the beginning of the war to prevent the escalation of clashes into the Black Sea. Our strict implementation of the Montreux Convention regarding the Straits and the Black Sea Grain Initiative are concrete examples of this approach.”

He also warned that the increasing attacks on civilian vessels pose a serious threat to lives, property, navigation, and the environment in the region, calling on the region and the international community to prevent the Black Sea from becoming a new conflict front.

On the Gaza file, Fidan pointed out the need to take steps to end the humanitarian tragedy in the Strip, including delivering the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid, allowing the Palestinian National Authority to enter the Strip to assume its administration, and deploying an international stabilization force there. He also warned that the Israeli occupation shows little interest in implementing the peace plan for Gaza, emphasizing the critical importance of exerting new international pressure to end the ongoing tragedy in the Strip.

For her part, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Urban affirmed that her country does not view relations between Turkey and the European Union solely from an economic perspective, stressing the need to update the Customs Union agreement between the two sides. She noted that Hungary is one of the major importers of natural gas via the “TurkStream” pipeline, pointing out that the two countries enjoy good dialogue not only in the energy sector but also in defense industry innovations.

Urban also announced that Hungarian airline Wizz Air has begun operating direct flights between Budapest and Ankara, pledging to continue strengthening transport links between the two countries. She highlighted tourism figures from Hungary to Turkey, noting that 250,000 Hungarians visited Turkey last year.