Turkey is set to sign the charter for a Saudi-led military coalition aimed at countering threats to shipping in the Red Sea, including attacks by the Houthis, regional officials told Al-Monitor, marking Ankara’s formal entry into a multinational effort to secure the strategic waterway.
Turkish officials are expected to sign the charter in Saudi Arabia on Friday, the officials said.
The move follows Turkey’s participation in a July 30 meeting of military chiefs in Riyadh and comes after Ankara joined 13 other countries in a statement last month expressing support for the proposed Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance. That statement stopped short of formally committing countries to the coalition, whose charter and organizational structure had yet to be finalized.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement today, “At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, a technical meeting was held in Riyadh on July 28 to ensure freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, followed by a meeting of the chiefs of general staff on July 30, 2026.”
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