Bangladesh open to joining Makkah defence pact if invited: FM

Bangladesh will positively consider joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement if its founding members formally invite the country,

DHAKA: Bangladesh will positively consider joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement if its founding members formally invite the country, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament on Thursday.

Rahman said Bangladesh had not yet been asked to join the agreement. Any decision would depend on an invitation from the countries that established the pact.

“If an invitation is extended, Bangladesh will consider it positively,” the foreign minister said, while stressing that Dhaka would first assess the potential benefits and implications for the country.

Rahman described the Makkah agreement as a collective self-defence mechanism for the Muslim world. He said Bangladesh viewed the matter as an issue concerning Muslim countries and maintained that decisions regarding participation should be based on the interests of the countries involved.

His comments came amid growing indications that Dhaka is exploring closer strategic engagement with Muslim countries.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir had earlier expressed interest in joining the defence framework. He said Dhaka was looking at the possibility positively while keeping national interests at the centre of its foreign policy.

Kabir said Bangladesh was seeking to expand its partnerships with countries in West Asia and across the wider Muslim world. He also stressed that the country was following a balanced foreign policy under its “Bangladesh First” approach.

Bangladesh’s opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman also said that any decision to join the pact would ultimately be a sovereign choice for Dhaka. He said the country should determine its position according to its national interests and requirements.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan during a trilateral summit in Makkah on August 7. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement at Al-Safa Palace.

The pact aims to strengthen collective security, expand defence cooperation and contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Bangladesh has also indicated that it wants to strengthen its bilateral relationship with Pakistan. Kabir said Dhaka was pursuing normal diplomatic engagement with Islamabad, particularly in trade and people-to-people connectivity.