Careful diplomacy must before Bangladesh decides to join Mecca Pact: Experts
Speakers call for a comprehensive cost-benefit assessment, national consensus and stronger domestic defence capabilities before any decision.
Bangladesh should ensure effective diplomatic preparations, national consensus and a comprehensive assessment of potential benefits and risks before deciding whether to join the "Mecca Defence Pact", security and international relations experts said.
They also stressed strengthening the country's military capabilities, defence technology, intelligence capacity and independence in security and diplomatic decision-making.
They made the remarks at a roundtable "Bangladesh's Possible Joining of the Mecca Defence Pact: Strategic National Security Calculations" organised by Voice for Reform in Dhaka's Kawran Bazar today (31 August).
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar said Bangladesh needs greater independence in security and diplomatic decisions, but rapidly expanding military capabilities is not realistic.
Instead, the country could deepen defence cooperation with friendly nations such as Saudi Arabia and Türkiye through joint training, military technology and intelligence sharing.
Bangladesh could benefit from Türkiye's military technology while also developing its own capacity to manufacture defence equipment, he said. Joining the pact could also create opportunities for economic cooperation and help Bangladesh address the Rohingya issue.
Former diplomat Saquib Ali called for a thorough cost-benefit analysis before joining the pact.
Bangladesh should not view the alliance as a "shortcut solution" to its security challenges based on public sentiment, he said. Any decision without a clear understanding of the pact's terms and obligations could raise questions.
Saquib also said Bangladesh's military capacity cannot be strengthened simply by joining a new alliance, urging policymakers to consider potential risks and reactions from other countries based on Bangladesh's experience with neighbouring states.
Brigadier General (retd) Hasan Nasir said Bangladesh has limited scope to rapidly expand its military capabilities and therefore needs security cooperation with friendly countries that would stand by it during a crisis.
Alongside Saudi support, Bangladesh could benefit from Türkiye's military technology, training and joint exercises, he said. Developing domestic defence manufacturing capacity should also be a priority.
Bangladesh should prioritise its national interests when determining relations with Pakistan or any other country, rather than focusing on reactions from other states, he said. However, the Mecca Pact should not become a large and ineffective framework.
Professor Shahab Enam Khan of Jahangirnagar University's Department of International Relations said the pact could provide Bangladesh with both military and diplomatic opportunities.
Bangladesh could contribute through its human resources and technical capabilities, while cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan could create opportunities to develop air defence and electronic warfare technologies.
However, its success would largely depend on Bangladesh's diplomatic capacity, he said. Policymakers should also consider South Asia's complex geopolitical dynamics, the political stability of member states and their existing links with Western military systems.
Former US diplomat Jon F Danilowicz said the Mecca Pact is essentially a defensive alliance aimed at preventing conflict and ensuring collective security among its members.
He said such arrangements are possible under the UN Charter.
Referring to misconceptions about NATO's Article 5, Danilowicz said an attack on one member does not automatically mean others will go to war. Each member decides how to respond if assistance is requested.
Similarly, Mecca Pact members would retain their sovereign decision-making powers, he said.
For Bangladesh, joining the pact would be an important test, requiring the country to prioritise national interests and strengthen its national security decision-making framework, speakers think.
