Reuters: Bangladesh could consider joining the Mecca pact, a mutual defence agreement signed this month between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, a minister has said.
“If there is a security arrangement among Islamic nations in the Middle East, it is not unusual for us to consider participating. It is being viewed positively,” said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir.
“They are inviting the leadership of Bangladesh, particularly Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, to come and participate,” he told reporters on Monday.
A source in the Bangladesh foreign ministry told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka to join the pact, but did not say when the invitation was made. The source sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media.
The three Sunni Muslim-majority countries signed the agreement, modelled on NATO’s collective-defence principle, in the Saudi holy city of Mecca this month.
They pledged that an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all, amid heightened tension in the regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire across the Middle East.
More than 90% of Bangladesh’s population identifies as Sunni Muslim.
Asked for comment on the minister’s remarks, the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan in Bangladesh did not immediately respond.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion.
Anaysts say joining a military alliance would test Bangladesh’s long-standing foreign policy of avoiding rival geopolitical camps to help it attract investment, expand exports and maintain economic ties with competing powers.
Joining Mecca Pact Could Test Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy Balancing Act: Reuters
