Dhaka, Aug 24 (IANS) Bangladesh should carefully weigh the risks of joining the Mecca Pact or any similar military alliance, as such a move could expose the country to conflicts in which it has no direct stake, a report has warned.
It noted that Dhaka’s interests would be better served by retaining the freedom to engage with all sides while pursuing an independent foreign and security policy.
The security priorities reflected in the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7, do not necessarily align with Bangladesh’s interests, according to a report in Bangladesh’s leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’.
“Bangladesh should not import the Middle East’s architecture of conflict into its foreign policy. A country with which Dhaka has no dispute today could become a source of diplomatic tension tomorrow simply because it becomes the adversary of a treaty partner. Bangladesh should retain the freedom to assess each crisis on its own merits and determine its response according to its national interests, rather than being bound by the geopolitical calculations of military partners,” it detailed.
According to the report, Bangladesh has no territorial dispute or military conflict with Iran and has no interest in being drawn into a Gulf war.
“If Saudi Arabia were drawn into a future confrontation with Iran while Bangladesh was a member of the Mecca Pact, Dhaka could come under pressure to take sides in a war it had no role in starting. Such a situation could strain Bangladesh’s relations with both Riyadh and Tehran while putting its economic and energy interests at risk, particularly given the country’s dependence on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait,” it mentioned.
The report noted that the Mecca Pact’s collective-defence clause treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all, mirroring NATO’s Article 5. This means, it said, a conflict involving any member could potentially draw Bangladesh into a confrontation even if Dhaka had no dispute with the opposing side.
“Bangladesh has never built its foreign policy around military confrontation, and there is little reason to begin doing so now,” it stressed.
Highlighting the wider implications, the report argued that Bangladesh should not be bound by any treaty that makes another country’s enemy its own or requires it to commit military resources to conflicts it did not choose.
“Bangladesh should manage each relationship on its own merits, cooperate widely and remain outside military blocs that could compel it to take sides. Our foreign policy must remain firmly centred on Bangladesh itself—guided by its own national interests, strategic priorities and independent judgement rather than by the conflicts and rivalries of others,” it stated.
–IANS
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