Bangladesh is interested in joining the Makkah Joint Defense Pact of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, a senior diplomat said. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir announced this on Monday, a week after taking office.
Highlights
- Bangladesh seeks to join Makkah Joint Defense Agreement
- State Minister Humayun Kabir says the matter is ‘being viewed positively’
- Bangladesh’s regional stature growing.
- Pact signed in Makkah on August 7 by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye
- Kabir cites increasing global recognition of Bangladesh’s leadership
Bangladesh is interested in joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the country’s state minister for foreign affairs says, adding that it is not unusual to join if there is a security pact among Muslim nations https://t.co/i9ddxGmy4E
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Bangladesh has officially expressed its interest in the pact, Kabir said. He said the move was part of a wider shift in how the country was seen abroad. “Bangladesh is now a country of recognition,” he said. He said partners in West Asia and the wider Muslim world are increasingly inviting Bangladesh’s leadership, particularly Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, to participate in regional efforts.
“Considering this shift, it won’t be uncommon for Bangladesh to join some security agreement among Islamic countries,” Kabir, who earlier served as an adviser to Rahman, told Reuters. He said: “If there is one agreement in West Asia, if there is a security agreement between Islamic countries, then it is not unusual to go there.” “Well now, let’s see. “Now the thing is seen as a good thing.
What the Makkah Agreement entails
Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement at a trilateral summit on August 7. The three countries pledged to strengthen collective security, enhance defense cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement together at Al-Safa Palace at the summit.
Other countries in the region have expressed interest in joining since the pact was signed. Adding Bangladesh would bring a populous South Asian country with a growing diplomatic presence into an agreement that has until now been heavily skewed toward Middle Eastern and South Asian signatories. Whether Bangladesh formally joins is yet to be seen, but Kabir’s comments indicate the conversation is already at some level underway between Dhaka and the pact’s founding members.
