Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting on Thursday, 30 July 2026, bringing together Chiefs of Staff, representatives of brotherly and friendly countries, and the European Union Delegation to the Kingdom to discuss Saudi Arabia’s initiative to establish a Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance.
Key Highlights:
* Representatives from 43 countries, along with the European Union Delegation, participated out of 51 invited countries and organizations. Attendance was in person and via videoconference.
* Participants discussed the growing threats to maritime security, including attacks on commercial vessels, energy tankers, and maritime infrastructure, and their impact on freedom of navigation, global trade, and supply chains.
* The meeting reviewed the draft Charter of the Alliance, its organizational structure, command and control arrangements, operational mechanisms, and the roadmap for its establishment.
* It was agreed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will serve as the founding and leading state of the Alliance and will host its permanent headquarters.
* Military planners from interested countries will continue work on completing the Charter, reference documents, organizational framework, command arrangements, and operational procedures, while participating countries finalize their respective national approval processes.
* Saudi Arabia reaffirmed that the Alliance is an open international defensive initiative, welcoming all countries that share its objectives and principles.
Joint Statement
As an outcome of the meeting, 14 participating countries issued a Joint Statement expressing their support for the establishment of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance and welcoming the agreed founding arrangements.
The founding states are:
* Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
* State of Kuwait
* Kingdom of Bahrain
* State of Qatar
* Islamic Republic of Pakistan
* Republic of Türkiye
* Arab Republic of Egypt
* Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
* Republic of Yemen
* People’s Republic of Bangladesh
* Federal Republic of Nigeria
* Republic of Sudan
* Republic of Djibouti
* Federal Republic of Somalia
Other participating countries also expressed support for the initiative and are completing their national procedures before joining the Joint Statement.
Main Principles of the Alliance:
* Strengthen collective maritime defense cooperation.
* Protect freedom of navigation and international trade routes.
* Secure global energy supply routes.
* Enhance information and intelligence sharing.
* Conduct joint planning, exercises, training, and maritime operations.
* Respect the sovereignty of all states and fully comply with international law.
* Participation in Alliance activities remains a sovereign decision of each member state.
* The Alliance is purely defensive and does not target any state, alliance, or international organization.
Permanent Headquarters
Saudi Arabia will host:
* The Joint Command
* The Command and Control Center
* The Combined Maritime Operations Center
* The General Secretariat
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to complete the founding procedures of the Alliance, strengthen collective maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, protect global trade, and contribute to regional and international peace and stability