Bangladesh is on the radar as a prospective member of a regional security pact like the Mecca Pact, and the government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Tarique Rahaman is bent on changing the nation’s foreign policy from tackling mere bilateral issues to strategic partnerships and interests.
A top aide of Rahman told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha that Dhaka is eager to join a group similar to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey that reached their agreement recently.
The move is an opportune moment in India-Bangladesh relations. Tensions between the two cities have remained despite efforts by both sides to improve relations, such as during an event in New Delhi with the former Bangladeshi Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina.
The Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey joint defence pact was signed earlier this month in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the pact.
The agreement established a common understanding of enhancing the collective security and foster peace, stability and security in the region and beyond.
Having a similar pact with Bangladesh may have strategic consequences for India also. New Delhi has strong ties with Saudi Arabia and Turkey but Pakistan remains a key security threat, whereas there has been some strains in the New Delhi-Bangladesh relationship in recent months.
Rahman’s foreign affairs advisor Humayun Kabir suggested that the government was formulating a foreign policy aimed at strategic balance and regional partnerships.
The government’s strategy is Bangladesh-first and its foreign policy would reflect the same, the Foreign Affairs Division spokesman, Kabir told BSS, while answering the questions interactively.
In this context, it is relevant to observe that Bangladesh has made a statement about a “Mecca Pact” like grouping which would signal a shift towards broader regional pacts. With the move, it has the potential to impact on the geopolitical situation of South Asia and also bring an extra layer of complexity to Bangladesh’s relationship with India.