Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 07:11pm on 27 Aug 2026,Thursday International
Bangladesh is considering joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral security pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7, 2026. Sources told NDTV that the issue was discussed when Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir met Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Jeddah. A Bangladesh Foreign Ministry source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka to join, though the timing of the invitation was unclear. The prospect has raised concerns in India, given Türkiye’s support for Pakistan and New Delhi’s broader concerns over Islamabad’s growing ties with Dhaka. Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami welcomed the possibility, while analysts said joining could represent a significant shift towards Pakistan under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s “Bangladesh before everything” foreign policy. (PC: NDTV)
