Bangladesh has signalled that it is open to joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, as Dhaka looks to strengthen strategic partnerships while keeping its national interests at the centre of its foreign policy.

Bangladesh’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir said the country maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving the three countries. He stressed that any decision would be based on Bangladesh’s interests and changing global economic and trade dynamics.

Kobir said Dhaka was following a “Bangladesh First” foreign policy and was working to strengthen its bilateral relationship with Pakistan through trade, diplomacy, and people-to-people connections.

His comments come shortly after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. Under the pact, an armed attack against one signatory is to be treated as an attack against all three, while the agreement also provides for broader defence cooperation and collective deterrence.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has compared the arrangement technically to NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defence principle, while emphasising that the agreement is not directed against any particular country.

Pakistan has described the pact as defensive and said it remains open to countries willing to uphold its principles of cooperation, mutual respect, and peaceful dispute resolution.