{"id":13880,"date":"2026-08-30T21:24:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/?p=13880"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:24:20","slug":"bangladesh-sees-no-risk-in-joining-the-mecca-defence-pact-humaiun-kobir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/?p=13880","title":{"rendered":"Bangladesh sees no risk in joining the Mecca Defence Pact- Humaiun Kobir"},"content":{"rendered":"

ET Desk<\/strong>: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh sees no risk in joining the Mecca Defence Pact and it would not restrict Bangladesh\u2019s engagement with other partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a unique pact that, presenting new opportunities,\u201d he told reporters at the foreign ministry after Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah called on him.<\/p>\n

Kobir added Bangladesh viewed the proposed pact \u201cpositively\u201d while \u201cwe are currently holding discussions on this matter, and those discussions are progressing positively with all bilateral partners\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement or the \u201cMecca Pact\u201d was officially signed on August 7, 2026 with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey being its partners so far.<\/p>\n

Asked for comments about possible risks which Bangladesh might face if it eventually joined the proposed security arrangement, he said Dhaka would pursue an integrated and flexible foreign and security policy while maintaining balance in its international relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cA country like Bangladesh must approach foreign policy and security cooperation in a highly integrated and flexible manner, aligned with the dynamics of the current international political system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kobir said in line with the approach \u201cwe will balance our international relations\u201d and Bangladesh\u2019s possible entry into the defence alliance would pose no risk.<\/p>\n

The state minister said engaging in one particular sphere of cooperation amidst current volatile and crisis-driven international political environment would neither limit Bangladesh\u2019s foreign policy options nor prevent it from cooperating with other alliances or partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cEntering into one specific sphere within today’s volatile or crisis-driven international political climate does not mean you cannot contribute to other alliances or fields. It does not restrict your scope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kobir reaffirmed Bangladesh\u2019s commitment to international peace saying Dhaka would continue to engage wherever its experience and expertise could contribute to peace and stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cBangladesh stands for global peace and stability, and wherever peace and stability are the primary goals, Bangladesh will always be present,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kobir last week held a series of bilateral meetings including with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and other senior officials during his Jeddah visit to join OIC\u2019s 23rd Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).<\/p>\n

Asked if the proposed pact had figured in his discussions in Jeddah, Kobir confirmed that talks had taken place and added his interlocutors\u2019 response was \u201cpositive, very positive\u201d.<\/p>\n

The state minister, however, said Bangladesh was yet to receive a formal invitation to join the pact.<\/p>\n

\u201c(But) When a formal invitation is extended, we will certainly inform you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kobir said Bangladesh\u2019s positive attitude towards the pact was led by its longstanding role in United Nations peacekeeping campaign and its internationally recognised experience in security operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cBangladesh is a huge contributor to international peacekeeping under the United Nations framework. Maintaining peace is not a new concept for Bangladesh; we have extensive experience and expertise in this area, and we are recognized globally for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kobir added, \u201cwe do this (peacekeeping operation) all around the world, so why should we not do it for our Muslim brotherhood here\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not new to this field, nor are we novices in peace operations. We are experts, contributing one of the largest contingents to the UN peacekeeping system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said approaching such an initiative with a positive spirit to help address challenges facing the Muslim world was \u201cnot a bad thing at all\u201d since Saudi Arabia is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.<\/p>\n

The state minister said discussions on the matter progressed constructively and let’s see how things develop as we engage further,\u201d Kobir said.<\/p>\n

Referring to his Jeddah engagements, Kobir said his meeting with the Saudi foreign minister was \u201cvery fruitful\u201d, with the two sides also discussing trade, investment and potential defence cooperation.<\/p>\n

He also held meetings with senior representatives of Qatar, Kuwait and the Maldives on the sidelines of the OIC meeting.<\/p>\n

The state minister said Bangladesh\u2019s \u201cgoodwill footprint\u201d was now at the forefront in the Middle East and expressed optimism that Dhaka could translate it into stronger and more productive relations with countries in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ET Desk: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh sees no risk in joining the Mecca Defence Pact and it would not restrict Bangladesh\u2019s engagement with other partners. \u201cThis is a unique pact that, presenting new opportunities,\u201d he told reporters at the foreign ministry after Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah called on him. Kobir added Bangladesh viewed the proposed pact \u201cpositively\u201d while \u201cwe are currently holding discussions on this matter, and those discussions are progressing positively with all bilateral partners\u201d. The Mecca Joint Defence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-lead-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13883,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13880\/revisions\/13883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}