Staff Reporter:
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has described the Mecca Pact as a self-defence arrangement for the Muslim community worldwide, saying Bangladesh would consider joining it positively if invited.
He made the remarks on Thursday afternoon while replying to a supplementary question during the question-and-answer session of the third sitting of the National Parliament.
“The Mecca Pact was signed among three countries. We view it positively. The question of whether we will join it or not has not arisen yet, as it depends on the intentions of its existing members,” the foreign minister said.
The defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey came into effect on 7 Aug. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one member state will be considered an attack against all three.
“If the three countries of the Mecca Pact express their intention to include Bangladesh, we will certainly consider it positively at that stage,” Khalilur said.
“We will certainly take these issues into consideration. But we must remember one thing: if the pact is expanded, it is a self-defence arrangement for the Muslim community worldwide. This is an internal matter of the Muslim family, so there is no reason for others to be concerned about it,” he added.
