RIYADH: Pakistan has joined 13 other countries in endorsing a joint statement supporting Saudi Arabia’s proposed Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance, aimed at strengthening maritime security, protecting international waterways and safeguarding global trade.
The announcement came after a high-level meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday, bringing together chiefs of staff and military representatives from 43 countries, along with the European Union Delegation to the Kingdom. Participants attended both in person and via videoconference to discuss the Kingdom’s initiative to establish a multinational maritime defense alliance.
According to Saudi authorities, the proposed alliance seeks to enhance collective maritime security, protect international shipping routes and counter threats targeting commercial vessels, energy tankers and maritime infrastructure in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the draft charter of the proposed alliance, its organizational structure, command and control arrangements, operational mechanisms and the roadmap for its establishment.
Saudi Arabia was designated as the founding and leading state of the alliance and will host its headquarters, reflecting what participants described as international confidence in the Kingdom’s role in promoting collective maritime security.
At the conclusion of the meeting, 14 countries issued a joint statement expressing support for the initiative and welcoming the progress made on its founding arrangements. The signatories are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
Saudi Arabia said additional participating countries had also expressed support for the initiative and were completing their respective national procedures before joining the joint statement. The Kingdom added that the alliance would remain open to all countries that share its objectives and principles.
The meeting concluded with participants reaffirming their commitment to completing the alliance’s founding procedures, with the stated aim of strengthening collective efforts to deter maritime threats, protect freedom of navigation and contribute to regional and international security.
