Bangladesh Open To Joining Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye Pact, Ministers Say
Pact establishes collective deterrence, treating an armed attack on any member as an attack against all three countries.
- Bangladesh is open to joining the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkiye defence alliance, with ministers saying any decision will be based on national interest under the “Bangladesh First” policy.
- The Makkah pact, signed on August 7, establishes collective deterrence, treating an attack on one member as an attack on all three.
- State minister Humayun Kobir said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to visit Riyadh after summer at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s invitation.
- The “Bangladesh First” foreign policy places national interest, sovereignty and mutual respect at the centre of Dhaka’s international engagement.
- Joining the alliance could deepen defence ties but would require balancing relationships with other major partners like India and China.
Bangladesh has signaled openness to joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, with two junior ministers stressing that any decision would be guided by the country’s national interests. Signed in Makkah on August 7, the pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, drawing comparisons to a Muslim-majority NATO.
“Bangladesh First” guides foreign policy
“Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing. He said Bangladesh would also strengthen bilateral ties with Pakistan through normal diplomatic engagement, focusing on trade and people-to-people connectivity.
Kobir, appointed as the second state minister for foreign affairs on Friday, said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to visit Riyadh at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s invitation and the tour schedule is likely to be finalised after the summer. Another state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, in a separate media interaction on Friday, supplemented Kobir’s comments, saying Bangladesh’s national interest and the interests of its people would determine Dhaka’s stance on joining the pact. “Whether we join any pact or any multilateral body will be decided primarily on whether Bangladesh’s interests and the interests of the Bangladeshi people are protected,” she said when asked whether Bangladesh would be part of the trilateral framework.
A “paradigm shift” in foreign policy
The two junior ministers’ comments came two days after Rahman’s finance and planning adviser Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said a “Bangladesh First” policy marked a “paradigm shift” in the country’s foreign policy. He said the policy placed national interest, sovereignty, mutual respect and regional harmony at the centre of Bangladesh’s engagement with the international community by maintaining constructive and mutually beneficial relations with all countries. “The Bangladesh First policy means putting Bangladesh’s interests first, but Bangladesh for all,” Titumir said.
Why the Makkah pact matters
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is seen as a significant step towards deeper security cooperation among three of the most influential Muslim-majority states. For Bangladesh, which already maintains strong ties with all three, joining could offer access to defence technology, training and intelligence sharing, while also aligning Dhaka more closely with a bloc that is increasingly assertive in regional security matters. However, any move would need to be carefully weighed against Bangladesh’s relationships with other major partners, including India and China, and its traditional emphasis on non-alignment.