Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt rally around Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defense
Turkiye, Egypt and Pakistan’s foreign ministers on Tuesday said they affirmed Riyadh’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law and stressed the need to maintain safety of navigation in the region, amid escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis against the Kingdom.
The declaration followed a meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they voiced profound worry at the continuing crises in the area.
The Houthis have been assaulting the Kingdom with missiles and drones and the organization launched several strikes last month that wounded more than 80 people in Saudi Arabia and affected the operations of a major oil pipeline.
The four foreign ministers exchanged views on recent regional and international developments and reiterated the significance of ongoing consultation in support of peace and stability in the Middle East and the broader region, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
The Ministers also strongly condemned all attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the recent Houthi attacks, and reiterated their steadfast support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the Kingdom,” a joint statement shared by Pakistani foreign ministry read.
They also reaffirmed the Kingdom’s inherent right to defend itself, its territory and its people, in conformity with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
The Houthis, who have pushed forward in recent weeks along Yemen’s Red Sea coast surrounding the crucial Bab Al-Mandab Strait, have stoked anxieties over commercial shipping and oil supplies already stressed by disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz from the US-Iran war.
The statement said the foreign ministers pointed out the need of “safeguarding the safety and freedom of maritime navigation” in the region.
They stressed that conversation and diplomacy were the only way forward to reach a permanent solution and in this regard urged for the maintaining of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.
Pakistan helped arrange the MoU in June, which aimed to cease military operations and chart a course for a broader settlement, including talks on Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions and regional security. Soon, however, both teams were again on the attack and have remained stuck in a deadlock.
The foreign ministers also reiterated the crucial importance of the Palestinian struggle to peace, security and stability in the Middle East.
The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their inalienable right to self-determination and to establish an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the joint statement said.