RIYADH: Pakistan has joined 13 other countries in formally backing a Saudi-led initiative to create a multinational maritime defense alliance to protect the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden from mounting security threats.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said the kingdom would serve as the founding and leading state of the proposed alliance and would host its headquarters, a step toward establishing a new collective security framework for some of the world’s most strategically vital shipping routes.
The initiative was discussed Thursday at a high-level meeting hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Defense. Chiefs of staff and military representatives from 43 countries attended, along with the European Union Delegation to the kingdom. Organizers said 51 countries and organizations had been invited.
NEW: Saudi Ministry of Defense announces conducting a meeting regarding establishing a “Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition” to enhance maritime defense in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi MoD announced that thirteen countries alongside Saudi Arabia… pic.twitter.com/N3s59RjbOK
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After the meeting, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia issued a joint statement supporting the proposed alliance and endorsing its agreed foundational arrangements.
The alliance is meant to counter attacks on commercial vessels, oil tankers and maritime infrastructure that threaten freedom of navigation, global supply chains, energy security and international trade.
Participants reviewed a draft charter, organizational structure, command-and-control arrangements and operational mechanisms for the coalition, officials said. Military planners from prospective member countries will now work to finalize the charter and technical framework before the alliance is formally launched.
Saudi Arabia described the coalition as an open international defense initiative and said other countries sharing its objectives would be welcome to join after completing their respective national procedures.
The move comes amid growing international concern over threats to shipping in the Red Sea and nearby waterways, through which a substantial share of global energy supplies and commercial trade passes.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to accelerate the alliance’s establishment and to develop a coordinated mechanism capable of deterring maritime threats and safeguarding international navigation and trade.
