Bangladesh\u00a0 Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament on Thursday that the country\u00a0would consider “positively” if founding members of the Makkah pact invite South Asian nations to join it.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoining the pact or not has not come yet, as it is subjected to the intention of the parties involved in the pact. If they invite Bangladesh to join, then we will definitely consider it positively,\u201d the foreign minister said.<\/p>\n
He assured parliament that Bangladesh would assess the potential benefits before making any decision to join.<\/p>\n
Read:\u00a0<\/strong>Bangladesh in talks to buy Chinese J-10CE fighter jets<\/a><\/p>\n Calling the pact a self-defence mechanism for the Muslim world, Rahman said, \u201cMore importantly, we have to keep in mind it\u00a0is the world Muslim community’s self-defence mechanism. And this is our family’s, Muslim family’s internal matter. So, there is nothing for others to be concerned about.\u201d<\/p>\n Separately, opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said\u00a0that joining the Makkah pact\u00a0was Bangladesh\u2019s “own decision”.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Bangladesh takes a decision in the interests and needs of the country and nation, no one else needs to suffer (worry about),\u201d he said in a statement on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0<\/strong>Bangladesh interested in joining Makkah Defence pact: official<\/a><\/p>\n T\u00fcrkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the joint defence agreement at a trilateral summit in Makkah on August 7, pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defence cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond.<\/p>\n The agreement was signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the summit at Al-Safa Palace.<\/p>\n On August 25, Bangladesh’s newly appointed state minister for foreign affairs expressed interest in joining the\u00a0Makkah Joint Defence Agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We have expressed our\u00a0interest<\/a>\u00a0in the Makkah Defence pact \u2026 Bangladesh is now a country of recognition. The partners in West Asia (Middle East), the partners in the Muslim world around the globe are now inviting the leadership of Bangladesh, especially the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, to be with them in many places,” said Humayun Kobir.<\/p>\n “If there is one (agreement) in West Asia, if there is a security agreement between Islamic countries, then it is not unusual to go there. Let’s see. The matter is being viewed positively,” said Kabir, who earlier served as an advisor to Rahman.<\/p>\n Humayun’s comments come three days after he had initially signalled Bangladesh’s willingness to join the pact on Saturday, as Dhaka seeks to expand its strategic partnerships while keeping national interests at the centre of its foreign policy, it emerged on Saturday, according to\u00a0state-run<\/a>\u00a0Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.<\/em><\/p>\n