Bangladesh is considering to join the Mecca Defense Pact, a defence alliance involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, State Minister for Foreign Affairs (2) Shama Obaid Islam has said. The government will assess the pact’s potential benefits for the country’s interests, economy and people before making a final decision.
Shama Obaid made the remarks in a recent interview with a private television channel. A Bangladeshi English-language daily later reported the matter, which was also confirmed on social media by the BNP media cell.
“The world has reached a point where almost every country is joining one larger alliance or another,” Shama Obaid said, citing SAARC, BIMSTEC, the Indo-Pacific, Quad and BRICS as examples of regional and international groupings.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey formed the defence alliance in view of the post-war regional security situation, according to the state minister. The pact is based on collective defence, under which an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three countries.
“The Mecca Pact emerged primarily from the thinking of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey on regional security,” Shama Obaid said. “The first condition of this defence agreement is that if one member country is attacked, all three countries will be considered to have been attacked.”
“The agreement is not only for military cooperation,” Shama Obaid said. “It has also been designed to protect the economies and people of member countries. Other interested countries have also been given the opportunity to join.”
Responding directly to whether Bangladesh would join, Shama Obaid said the government was considering the issue but would evaluate all possible gains and losses before reaching a final decision.
“The first question is how much Bangladesh would benefit from joining this agreement from the perspective of its foreign policy,” Shama Obaid said.
Economic benefits and employment opportunities would be important considerations, according to the state minister. Bangladesh has close relations with Turkey, which recently sent a high-level delegation to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh also maintains deep ties with Saudi Arabia, where nearly 4 million Bangladeshis work.
“Existing bilateral relations will certainly be taken into account,” Shama Obaid said. “However, the final decision will depend on what Bangladesh can realistically achieve from this agreement.”
“If Bangladesh believes that the benefits are greater and that the country’s people will benefit, the government will certainly make its decision accordingly,” Shama Obaid added.