Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh

Riyadh, Jul 31: Fourteen countries have agreed to establish an international maritime security alliance aimed at strengthening cooperation to protect vital global shipping lanes amid rising security threats in the region.

The decision was taken at a special meeting held in Riyadh on Thursday.

The alliance comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.

The new grouping will serve as a framework for international maritime defence cooperation to address growing challenges to maritime security.

Its primary objectives include enhancing regional security, protecting freedom of navigation, ensuring the safety of international trade and energy supply routes, and safeguarding shared maritime interests in the Bab el-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Member nations said the alliance would operate in accordance with international law, United Nations conventions and established international maritime norms.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of increasing instability along some of the world's busiest maritime corridors.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have intensified amid the ongoing confrontation between the United States and Iran, while the Bab el-Mandab, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping route has witnessed repeated attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, disrupting commercial shipping and raising concerns over global trade and energy security.