DHAKA: Bangladesh joined the Saudi-led maritime coalition to support efforts in maintaining regional peace and stability, its state minister for foreign affairs told Arab News on Saturday, after the Kingdom announced formation of the international alliance.
The Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance was established on Thursday following an international meeting hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Defense in Riyadh, with the support of 14 countries, including Bangladesh, Kuwait, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkiye and Jordan.
It is aimed at protecting freedom of navigation, secure international trade routes and safeguard energy supply lines across key waterways, namely the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“We agree with the idea of forming a maritime defense alliance aiming to secure the movement of vessels through the Red Sea and surrounding waterways,” Shama Obaed Islam, Bangladesh’s state minister of foreign affairs, said.
“We want stability in this region, we want peace — considering that aspect, we joined.”
The coalition’s formation comes against the backdrop of the Houthis’ imposition of a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20, disrupting oil shipments diverted to the Red Sea following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the US-led war on Iran that broke out in late February.
The new alliance is set to have a permanent headquarter in Saudi Arabia and is intended to “strengthen collective maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation and global trade, and embody the principle of shared international responsibility in addressing common threats,” the Saudi Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“The alliance is purely defensive in nature, does not target any state, alliance, or international organization, and conducts all its activities in full compliance with international law, with respect for state sovereignty, and in defense of the freedom of navigation.”
Dhaka’s decision to join the coalition is “normatively symbolic,” according to Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh’s former ambassador to the US.
“Most of our West-bound trade goes through this Red Sea. So, any obstruction in the navigation in the Red Sea could affect us directly,” he told Arab News, alluding to an estimated 70 percent of Bangladesh’s exports destined for Europe, the US and Canada that move through the Red Sea corridor.
“So from that point of view, I think we give a message that we support the freedom of navigation globally, and also particularly across the Red Sea, because that affects our interest directly.”
