Mecca Pact entry depends on members’ intent
Bangladesh’s possible participation in the Mecca Pact will depend on whether its existing members invite Dhaka to join, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman told parliament on Thursday.
He said Bangladesh would consider such an invitation positively if Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan express an intention to include the country in the arrangement.
“There is no question of joining at this stage, as the matter depends on the intentions of the existing members,” the foreign minister said while replying to a supplementary question from independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana during the third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.
Rumeen asked what benefits Bangladesh could gain by joining the pact, which was signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7.
Dr Khalil said Bangladesh views the pact positively, but no formal proposal for Dhaka to join has been made.
“If they express an intention to include Bangladesh in this pact, we will certainly consider it positively,” he said.
He added that it would be premature to assess the advantages and disadvantages of joining before any formal proposal is received.
Pact described as defensive arrangement
The foreign minister also sought to allay concerns over the possible expansion of the pact, describing it as a defensive arrangement for the “global Muslim community.”
“If this pact expands, it is a self-defence arrangement for the global Muslim community. This is our family. It is an internal matter of the Muslim family. There is no reason for others to be concerned about it,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca on August 7. Under the agreement, an armed attack against one member is to be treated as an attack against all.
The pact brings together three strategically important Muslim-majority countries. Saudi Arabia provides significant economic and energy strength, Türkiye has one of NATO’s largest militaries and a major defence industry, while Pakistan is the world’s only Muslim-majority nuclear-armed state.
The members have described the agreement as defensive and not directed against any particular country. Türkiye has also indicated that the arrangement could be expanded to include other friendly countries.
The collective-defence provision has drawn comparisons with NATO’s Article 5, although Türkiye has said the mechanism does not create an automatic military commitment identical to NATO’s structure.
The agreement also builds on the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, with Türkiye’s inclusion broadening the scope of the security arrangement.
No decision yet on Bangladesh’s participation
The foreign minister’s remarks come amid growing speculation over whether Bangladesh could join the pact.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir had earlier said Dhaka could consider participating in a security arrangement involving Muslim countries and that Bangladesh viewed the initiative positively.
Reports subsequently suggested that Bangladesh could be moving towards joining the pact, while a Foreign Ministry source was also quoted as saying Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka.
Dr Khalil’s parliamentary statement, however, makes clear that Bangladesh has not decided to join the pact and that any formal consideration would follow an invitation from the existing members.
India has also been closely monitoring the development. New Delhi said on August 7 that it was “closely following” the newly signed defence agreement, reflecting the regional sensitivity surrounding the security arrangement involving Pakistan.
Any move by Bangladesh to join could also have implications for its relations with India and other major partners.
Dhaka has traditionally sought to maintain balanced relations with competing regional and global powers while avoiding formal alignment with rival geopolitical blocs.
Bangladesh’s economic interests are also likely to factor into any future decision, given its dependence on markets in the UK, European Union and United States for garment exports and on remittances from millions of overseas workers, particularly in the Middle East.
Against this backdrop, Dr Khalil said Bangladesh’s position remains unchanged: Dhaka views the Mecca Pact positively, but joining it would ultimately depend on Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan extending an invitation.
