Dhaka, Aug 23: Bangladesh is open to the possibility of joining the recently established defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, although any decision will be based on the country’s national interests, two junior foreign ministers have said.
The pact, signed in Makkah, provides a framework for collective deterrence and states that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three.
Bangladesh’s newly appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir said Dhaka had a positive approach towards potentially joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye.
“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,” Kobir told the Bangla service of state-run BSS.
Kobir said the Government was following a “Bangladesh First” policy and pursuing a balanced foreign policy with national interests at its core. He said this approach could pave the way for Dhaka to consider joining the defence framework.
He also said Bangladesh would seek to strengthen bilateral relations with Pakistan through normal diplomatic engagement, particularly in areas such as trade and people-to-people connectivity.
Kobir, who was appointed the second state minister for foreign affairs on Friday, said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was expected to visit Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The schedule for the visit is likely to be finalised after the summer.
Another State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, separately said Bangladesh’s decision on joining the pact would be guided by the interests of the country and its people.
“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.
The comments came two days after Rahman’s Finance and Planning Adviser Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir described the “Bangladesh First” policy as a major shift in the country’s foreign policy.
Titumir said the policy placed national interest, sovereignty, mutual respect and regional harmony at the centre of Bangladesh’s engagement with the international community, while seeking constructive and mutually beneficial relations with all countries.
“The Bangladesh First policy means putting Bangladesh’s interests first, but Bangladesh for all,” he said.
