Riyadh: Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries have announced the formation of a multinational maritime defense coalition aimed at protecting freedom of navigation, international trade, and energy supply routes in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. This coalition was unveiled in a joint statement at the conclusion of an international meeting hosted by Riyadh, which saw participation from chiefs of staff and representatives from 43 countries, along with a delegation from the European Union, all convened to discuss enhancing the security of international maritime routes.
According to Anadolu Agency, the founding states emphasized that joining the coalition's activities would remain a sovereign decision for each member state, highlighting that the alliance is purely defensive in nature, does not target any state, alliance, or international organization, and will conduct its activities in full compliance with international law while respecting state sovereignty and protecting freedom of navigation. Saudi Arabia has been designated as the coalition's founding and leading state and will host the permanent headquarters, including the Joint Operations Coordination Center, the Joint Maritime Operations Center, and the General Secretariat.
The joint statement described the coalition as a 'framework for maritime defense cooperation' aimed at enhancing maritime security, protecting freedom of navigation, securing international trade and energy supply routes, and safeguarding maritime interests in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. It emphasized that participating states would continue completing their domestic procedures necessary for formally acceding to the coalition's charter. It further called for strengthening cooperation in maritime security, intelligence and information sharing, operational planning, joint exercises, exchange of lessons learned, training, capacity building, and joint maritime operations.
The Saudi Defense Ministry reported that Thursday's meeting addressed the growing threats to maritime security, including the security of commercial vessels, oil tankers, and maritime infrastructure. It explored ways to strengthen multilateral defense cooperation to protect supply chains and the global economy. Discussions also covered the draft alliance charter, its organizational structure, command and control arrangements, and future operational mechanisms, aiming to establish an effective institutional framework for cooperation in confronting shared maritime threats.
The ministry stated that participants reached understandings on finalizing the establishment procedures, including the final draft of the alliance charter and completing the necessary organizational structures and technical arrangements, paving the way for the alliance's launch and the commencement of its operations. The alliance is an international defense initiative open to all countries wishing to join, aiming to protect freedom of navigation and global trade and to enhance regional and international security and stability.
The ministry highlighted that 14 countries issued a joint statement supporting the creation of the maritime coalition, including Saudi Arabia, Trkiye, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Djibouti, Somalia, Bangladesh, Yemen, and the Comoros. It noted that the door remains open for other countries to accede to the coalition's charter after completing their national procedures.
This initiative comes amid rising threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea following Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20 and subsequently claiming attacks on Saudi-linked vessels. Riyadh has pledged to protect maritime traffic and respond to threats against international navigation.