Bangladesh keeps Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye defence pact option open

Bangladesh has kept open the option of joining the new Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkiye defence framework. Ministers say any move will depend on national interest under Dhaka's Bangladesh First policy.

In Short

• Two junior ministers said all foreign policy choices hinge on national interests
• The Makkah framework treats an attack on one member as collective aggression
• Dhaka says its Bangladesh First doctrine guides balanced diplomatic engagement globally

Bangladesh is open to the possibility of joining the recently formed defence alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, with two junior ministers saying any decision will be based on the country’s national interests. Their remarks come as the government says it is following a “Bangladesh First” approach in foreign policy.

The pact, signed in Makkah on August 7, sets out a framework for collective deterrence and says that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three. The ministers said Dhaka’s position on the framework would be guided by the interests of Bangladesh and its people.

Newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kobir told the Bangla service of state-run BSS on Friday, “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 dynamics of the global economy and trade.” He said the government was pursuing a “Bangladesh First” policy and a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core, which might lead Dhaka to join the defence pact.

Kobir also said Bangladesh would strengthen bilateral ties with Pakistan through normal diplomatic engagement, with a focus on trade and people-to-people connectivity. He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to visit Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the tour schedule is likely to be finalised after the summer. Kobir was appointed as the second state minister for foreign affairs on Friday.

In a separate media interaction on Friday, another state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, echoed Kobir’s remarks. “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.

The two ministers spoke 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 while 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. Together, the remarks underline that Bangladesh is keeping the option of joining the alliance open while linking any such move to its national priorities.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends