- Bangladesh is keen on joining the Mecca Pact involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey
- The Mecca Pact aims to strengthen collective security and regional stability among members
- Rahman’s visit to Riyadh is expected soon to discuss Bangladesh’s potential pact membership
Bangladesh is keen on joining a formation like the Mecca Pact, a close aide of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
This gives a new template to Bangladesh's foreign policy at a time when there have been strains over a Sheikh Hasina event in New Delhi even as both countries are working towards a reset in ties.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the joint defence agreement in Mecca earlier this month. For India, adding Bangladesh to this equation could present a new worry, as while India maintains close ties with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan is an enemy country, and ties with Bangladesh have seen recent hiccups.
The pact was signed in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The joint statement declared a "shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond".
Hinting at a foreign policy of regional alliances and strategic balance, Rahman's foreign affairs advisor, Humayun Kabir, told BSS, "The government is following a 'Bangladesh First' policy. The government was pursuing a balanced foreign policy in the international arena, with national interests at its core."
"Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade," Kabir told Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha.
Kabir said Rahman's visit to Riyadh, at the invitation of the Saudi Crown Prince, was likely to be finalised soon after the summer.
"At the same time, Bangladesh is strengthening its working bilateral relationship with Pakistan as part of normal diplomatic engagement, with a focus on trade and bilateral people-to-people connectivity," he said.
The "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and Pakistan's foreign ministry said it stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all.
This statement from such a high-ranking official amidst Bangladesh making Sheikh Hasina the central focus of its engagement with India has implications for India's immediate neighbourhood.
Both Pakistan and Turkey have also voiced support for a maritime defence coalition, and Saudi Arabia has already announced plans to protect regional shipping and energy routes. If Bangladesh does join the Mecca pact, then it could also have new implications in the maritime domain.
Some analysts have described the Mecca pact as an Islamic NATO. While Bangladesh is considering joining the agreement, a formal defence agreement will add further stress to the India-Bangladesh bilateral relationship, as any engagement with Pakistan is going to be seen with suspicion, as Pakistan has in the past tried to gain a foothold in Bangladesh to push terror into India.
