Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries announced the creation on Thursday of a multinational maritime defense alliance aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation, international trade and energy supply routes in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The representatives of 43 countries – out of 51 countries and organizations that were invited – participated in the meeting for the establishment of the alliance.
A European Union delegation was included, the Saudi defence ministry said.
In a statement published on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defence said the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance was established as a framework to strengthen collective maritime security and embody the principle of shared international responsibility in addressing common threats.
It stressed that the initiative is based on the firm conviction that the security of international sea lanes is a collective responsibility requiring an effective and sustainable international partnership.
As an outcome of the meeting, 14 participating countries issued a joint declaration expressing support for the multinational maritime defense alliance and welcoming the consensus reached on its foundational arrangements.
The current signatories are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia.
Other countries participating in the meeting also expressed support for the initiative and are in the process of completing their internal national procedures and approvals to join the joint declaration.
The declaration will remain open to those countries, as well as other interested states, once they complete their national procedures.
The initiative forms part of efforts to strengthen maritime security, protect international sea lanes, and counter threats targeting maritime navigation and global trade.
‘Shared responsibility’
The meeting saw broad participation from chiefs of staff and their representatives from 43 countries, alongside the EU delegation, out of 51 countries and organizations invited. Participants attended either in person or via videoconference.
Participants discussed the growing threats to maritime security, including attacks targeting commercial vessels and maritime infrastructure.
Discussions highlighted the risks threats pose to maritime navigation safety, global supply chain stability, and the international economy. They stressed the importance of enhancing multilateral defense cooperation to counter and deter these threats and to safeguard the security of international sea lanes.
The meeting also reviewed the draft charter of the multinational maritime defense alliance, along with its reference documents, organizational structure, command-and-control arrangements, operating mechanisms, and future work plan.
These arrangements are intended to establish an effective institutional framework that strengthens maritime defense cooperation among participating countries and addresses shared maritime threats in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
The meeting also discussed the foundational arrangements for the multinational maritime defense alliance initiative, foremost among them that Saudi Arabia would serve as the founding and leading state of the alliance and host its headquarters.
The door to participate to the initiative remains open to other countries who share the same objectives and principles, the ministry said.
The move comes amid escalating threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group declared what it called a maritime navigation ban on Saudi Arabia, opening a new front against the United States in its war on Iran and widening the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.
