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.
The pact was signed in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 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. The government was pursuing a balanced foreign policy in the international arena, with national interests at its core.
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. Kabir said Rahman’s visit to Riyadh, at the invitation of the Saudi Crown Prince, was likely to be finalised soon after the summer. 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.
