Saudi Arabia's new maritime alliance with 14 countries, including Bangladesh, to protect waterways

Saudi Arabia's new maritime alliance with 14 countries, including Bangladesh, to protect waterways A multinational military maritime alliance of 14 countries has been formed at the initiative of Saudi Arabia to ensure free navigation and trade security in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. Fourteen countries, including Bangladesh, have signed this alliance called the 'Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance'. The main goal of the alliance is to protect these waterways, which are very important for global trade and energy supply. Al Jazeera confirmed this information on Thursday, citing a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Defense. The global economy is under extreme pressure as the Strait of Hormuz is practically closed due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up their attacks on the Bab-el-Mandeb and Red Sea waterways, putting global energy security at serious risk. To deal with the emerging situation, 51 countries were invited to a special meeting held in Riyadh. Representatives from 43 countries, including the European Union, participated, and in the end, 14 countries gave their final consent to form the alliance. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the other countries that signed the alliance are Bangladesh, Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Comoros. However, the United Arab Emirates and Oman did not join the alliance. Saudi Arabia will serve as the founding member and permanent headquarters of the alliance. The joint statement said that the alliance is completely defensive and not formed against any specific country. It will mainly strengthen the security of international waterways through information exchange, joint military exercises and maritime activities. It is worth noting that the strategically important 18-mile-wide Bab el-Mandeb Strait carries about 10 to 12 percent of the world's total maritime trade and millions of barrels of crude oil per day. During the Iran crisis that began in February, Saudi Arabia continued to export oil through the Yanbu terminal as an alternative route using the East-West pipeline, but the Houthi attack on the Red Sea made that route too risky. In this context, this military action has been taken on the basis of joint cooperation to ensure uninterrupted regional and international energy supplies.

Source: Al Jazeera