FOREIGN RELATIONS - BANGLADESH AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD

• Overview

The foreign policy of any country at an point of time is a product of its own history, experience, compulsions and challenges. It is also moulded by the conscious preference for action that the country, its people and the government opt for to secure vital national interests.

The fundamental objectives of Bangladesh’s foreign policy are:

The preservation of our independence and sovereignty, Ensuring economic progress, Consolidation of our existence as a politically stable moderate democratic and responsible contributing member of the international community, and
Protecting this image outside.

Bangladesh has accordingly tried to continue the momentum towards strengthening the process of peace and democracy, encouraging dialogue and negotiations, and reforming the international order so that it could protect and promote the interest of all nations, specially the weaker ones. As a forward-looking developing country, Bangladesh has blended economic diplomacy to make such a process meaningful and relevant to the people.

One of the fundamental principles that Bangladesh has always sought to uphold, has been to work for peace, progress, and stability. The government has endeavoured to give practical express to this fundamental principle. Not only has it worked hard to strengthen democracy at home, ensure that transparency on vital governance related issues during last one year but has also set out from day one to use foreign policy as a strong instrument to promote and protect national security – both political and economic, regional stability, rapid economic growth and greater international cohesion and cooperation to advance the cause of peace and progress.

The relations of Bangladesh with her neighbours have always been of vital interest not only for their implications for national security but also for the positive contribution they may make to the realization of our legitimate economic interests. Since the assumption of office of the present government, a new horizon has been opened for deepening relations with our immediate neighbours.

India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Bangladesh is committed to working constructively to build on the existing friendly relations with her neighbours on the basis of equality, mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs and settlement of outstanding bilateral issues through dialogue and positive engagement.

Bangladesh was the country that pioneered the concept of SAARC under the visionary leadership of late President Ziaur Rahman. Bangladesh believes that SAARC could and should be a vital instrument contributing to the consolidation of peace in South Asia, accelerated development of our region and establishment of cooperative links that would enable us to transcend differences and harness our energies for the common good of entire South Asia.

Foreign Policy under the present Govt.

The four-party alliance under the leadership of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia assumed office in October 2001 at a time of extraordinary global transformation, where prevailing norms and modalities of international relations stood to be undermined. The process of globalization coupled with global economic downturn, set an uncertain backdrop. Furthermore, the contemporary world of images and influences also emerged as yet another challenge in maintaining a credible image in the global milieu as a liberal democracy.

Since assuming office in the present government there has been positive engagement in the field of foreign relations. A trend of dynamism aiming to achieve the country's economic objectives and preserving its national interests, has been set. Bangladesh's friendly relations and cooperation with other countries have been steadily developing, securing a favourable external environment for opening up new vistas in diplomatic work. Bangladesh forever stands for peace and development - two major themes of the world today.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has been active in having her government pursue an effective foreign policy and all-round diplomatic endeavour. Soon after taking oath as Prime Minister, she attended the 11th SAARC Summit in Nepal, Commonwealth Summit in Australia and the UNGA Special Summit on Children in New York. These effectively underlined her government's commitment to regional cooperation, historical interactions within the multi-regional Commonwealth and the role of the United Nations in meaningfully addressing its social agenda.

The Immediate Neighbourhood:

In the 11th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's 8-point programme was duly reflected in the Kathmandu Declaration. Bangladesh was first to ratify the SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangement for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia, SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Women and Children for Prostitution; Bangladesh is also actively working for early enactment of enabling clauses in respect of SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. Bangladesh organized several SAARC Workshops recently and played a constructive role contributing to the image of the country.

The new SAARC Secretary-General was appointed from Bangladesh. Shortly after assuming his office, he visited Bangladesh and met the Prime Minister.

The success and achievements of the present government, with regard to Bangladesh's relations with countries of the region have continued to grow since October 2001. Immediately after the assumption of office by the present government, both India and Pakistan sent their Special Envoys to felicitate the Prime Minister and to express their respective government's desire to work closely with the newly elected government in Bangladesh. Both visits were indicative of the importance that these two important neighbours of Bangladesh attached to their relations with Bangladesh. A further extension in the regional context was the visit by the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, a country with which Bangladesh has had a tradition of good relations.

Bangladesh keenly observed the transition in Afghanistan. During the installation of the interim government, the Bangladesh Ambassador in Tashkent went to Kabul to attend the ceremony and as a special envoy of the Prime Minister, he handed over a letter to the new government of Afghanistan. A Bangladesh delegation led by the Foreign Minister made active contributions in the Conference on the "Reconstruction of Afghanistan and expressed Bangladesh's keen interest to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Subsequently, the Foreign Secretary participated in a follow-up meeting on the reconstruction of Afghanistan held in Geneva and reiterated the keen interest of the present government to provide all out support in various socio-economic assistance programme in Afghanistan and help rebuild the war torn country in various other ways.

The Commerce Minister of Pakistan visited Bangladesh and held official trade talks with his Bangladesh counterpart. The visit was an indication of Pakistan's keen interest to strengthen trade and commercial ties with the present government in Bangladesh.

The visit of the Foreign Secretary to India in February was to review the entire gamut of Bangladesh's bilateral relations with India and to establish contacts at a high political level of the government in New Delhi.

The third meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Boundary-Working Group was held in New Delhi following the earlier meetings of the Working Group in New Delhi and in Dhaka. At a senior official level meeting in March 2002, all unresolved boundary and territory related issues between India and Bangladesh, including determination of the un-demarcated land boundary, exchange of enclaves and adversely possessed territories, erection of permanent boundary pillars, the handing over of the Tin Bigha corridor and the implementation of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement were discussed and negotiated.

Trade talks between Bangladesh and India at the Commerce Secretary level reviewed all matters pertaining to bilateral trade relations between Bangladesh and India.

After the new government in Sri Lanka had assumed office, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister visited Bangladesh. Apart from creating goodwill and establishing contacts with the newly formed government of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, official talks between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were held during the visit where the entire gamut of bilateral relations including trade, commerce, investment, education, defence, shipping and cultural affairs were discussed at length. Earlier Minister for Enterprise Development, Investment Promotion and Constitutional Affairs of Sri Lanka also visited Bangladesh.

The other significant ministerial level visit from another South Asian country was by the Minister of State for Defence and National Security of Maldives.

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh M. Morshed Khan visited Pakistan and India with a special mission to convey Bangladesh's serious concern about the escalation of tension and the military stand-off between India and Pakistan and also to discuss bilateral issues of mutual interest with these two countries. During his visits, he called upon the leadership of both countries to take necessary immediate measures to de-escalate the existing tension; demobilize their troops from the international border and thereby engage into effective dialogue to resolve their bilateral dispute peacefully.

The series of activities mentioned above, undertaken at breathtaking sequence, clearly demonstrates the government's commitment to focus its foreign policy thrust, the immediate neighbourhood as a matter of priority.

The visit of the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, to Bangladesh, has been termed as a significant foreign policy achievement of the present government in the national and international media, both in the political and economic contexts due to the following reasons:

(a) This is the first time that during a State visit to Bangladesh any Pakistani President has expressed both in writing and formally in his speeches, regret for excesses committed by Pakistani forces in Bangladesh in 1971. This gesture indicated a willingness of the Pakistan leadership to reconcile with Bangladesh and move forward with strong political relations with the present government.

(b) The unilateral and non-reciprocal announcement made by the Pakistan President to provide duty free access to raw jute and 10,000 MTs. Of tea per annum from Bangladesh was also an expression of keen interest on the part of Pakistan to strengthen trade relations with the present government of Bangladesh.

(c) The President of Pakistan is being considered as an important partner of the United States in its fight against terrorism in Afghanistan. Pakistan is also receiving serious international attention in the wake of the Indo-Pak tensions. On both accounts, the visit created an opportunity to reiterate Bangladesh's principled position against international terrorism and its deep concerns at the existing Indo-Pak tensions and reaffirm the constructive role played by Bangladesh to bring peace and stability in the region. Besides the above positive outcomes, a number of instruments were signed with Pakistan to strengthen bilateral relations including (a) Protocol on Foreign Secretary level consultations (b) a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2003-2007 and (c) MOU to form a Joint Business Council between the apex Chambers of the two countries.

The visit of Indian Foreign Minister on 24-25 August, marked the first official visit to Bangladesh by an Indian Cabinet Minister after October 2001, which was a significance in establishing a good working relations. During the official talks with his Bangladesh counterpart they discussed and reviewed bilateral trade and recognizing the need to bring about a balance in it; issues related to infrastructure development at the land ports at the border; wide range of border issues and adhering to the Border Guidelines 1975, communication issues, cultural scientific cooperation; matters relating to SAARC and other issues of bilateral concern.

Looking East:

Sustained engagement with countries in the South East Asia and Far East region are characterized by an accent on extending our ties with the countries to the East.

From the Far East was the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji in January. This visit was of special significance. It was the first visit at this level after a long gap of 13 years and its high point was the reassurance given by the Chinese Premier that China shall forever remain a trusted and reliable friend of Bangladesh and a development partner. The number of important bilateral accords signed during the visit underlined the depth of our bilateral cooperation. The fact that China has emerged as an ally of Bangladesh was evident from the timing of this visit and its content.

The Joint Commission of Economic and Trade Cooperation between Bangladesh and China was held in Beijing. China's willingness to include 13 projects for Chinese assistance under concessional terms was another positive gesture on their part. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is expected to pay an official visit to China soon.

Transition of East Timor to full independence and the launching of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) were two major regional developments. Bangladesh was represented at the East Timor Independence celebrations by our Ambassador in Jakarta, who also carried personal messages from the President and Prime Minister for their East Timor leadership. As for the ACD, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister played a crucial role in launching the process. Bangladesh appreciated and will fully cooperate with the launching of ACD, especially for the eradication of poverty.

In addition, the visit of the Thai Premier has been regarded as a milestone in developing relations between the two countries, especially in the field of industry, commerce, communications, tourism and investment. The signing of a MOU on Accounts Trade System and another on agreement on investment and reciprocal protection of investments between Bangladesh and Thailand was the other remarkable success. Another MOU was signed between the two countries by the apex body of business communities on formation of their business council. The visit of the Thai Premier was followed by the visit of the Permanent Secretary of Thailand to Dhaka.

The Vice Foreign Minister of Vietnam visited Bangladesh to reaffirm the historic ties between Bangladesh and Vietnam. He also indicated his country's readiness to re-open their resident diplomatic mission in Dhaka.

A number of visits from Bangladesh took place during this period. The Commerce Minister and the Foreign Secretary visited Myanmar; Ministers for Fisheries and Livestock, Commerce, State Minister for Finance and Planning and Foreign Minister visited Thailand; State Minister for Finance and Planning visited Singapore. Communication Minister paid an official visit to Myanmar.

Bangladesh and the Islamic World:

In the Conference of Islamic Foreign Ministers in Khartoum, Bangladesh's views got adequate reflection in the Khartoum Declaration. The forward looking intervention of Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan at that forum further enhanced the positive image of Bangladesh in the Muslim world. Earlier the State Minister for Foreign Affairs attended the OIC Special Sessions in Doha and Kuala Lumpur. His deliberations on combating terrorism were widely appreciated and found place in the Doha and Kuala Lumpur Declarations.

Sudan-Bangladesh bilateral relation was touched upon during the visit of the Foreign Minister, while attending Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Countries in Khartoum. The Sudanese counterpart has assured the Bangladesh Foreign Minister of paying off outstanding dues for jute export to Sudan.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's visit to Saudi Arabia marked her first official visit abroad just after assumption of office. The relations between the two countries were revitalized and assurances came from the Saudi authority to have more skilled and semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh. Recently English teachers were recruited from Bangladesh and recruitment of doctors, nurses and health technicians are being negotiated.

Bangladesh participated in the meeting of the Al-Quds Committee. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Reaz Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to a lasting peace in the region to enable the Palestinian people to establish their independent state.

From Iran a powerful delegation led by the Iranian Foreign Minister came and held discussions with Bangladesh side on trade and economic matters, including the whole gamut of bilateral relations.

Bangladesh and Turkey signed an agreement on cooperation in the fields of Military Training, Technique and Science with a view to facilitating further cooperation in defence area.

Beyond the Region:

An event of significant political and diplomatic importance was the visit of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Dhaka in early January 2002. This was the first head of government level visit to Bangladesh following the coming to office of Begum Khaleda Zia as Prime Minister. The visit took place against the backdrop of the global fight against international terrorism and Mr. Blair made it clear during his visit the importance the world attached to Bangladesh in this regard. He underlined the role that Bangladesh has been playing in peace-keeping in various parts of the world under the aegis of the United Nations. He also highlighted the status of Bangladesh as a democratic country pursuing a policy of moderation and harmony. A very significant achievement for the government was the US administration's highlighting of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim country and one of the biggest democracies in the world.

A US Congressional delegation visited Bangladesh early this year which was followed by the visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca in March. The visits served a significant boost to the bilateral and diplomatic relations between the two countries. Observing the peaceful coexistence of different faiths in Bangladesh, they termed Bangladesh as a moderate democratic country and a tolerant society. The visit of Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour in early April helped widen the understanding between the two governments. He too was deeply appreciative of the prevailing communal harmony in Bangladesh.

In the US Congressional hearing Bangladesh-US relations featured prominently. The hearing brought Bangladesh prominently in positive light to the US legislative, executive, and media communities. It also sent a message to other South Asian neighbours that Bangladesh retained and enjoyed a very positive image with the US Government which has lauded Bangladesh for her support to the global fight against terrorism and its role as a "moderate, secular, democratic, Muslim state." They recognized Bangladesh's need for support in getting market access to the United States for its ready-made garments, arsenic mitigation, and more educational facilities for women. The outcome of this congressional hearing was a milestone achievement.

Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan visited the U.S. and Canada in May this year. He met US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior officials of the US government and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He handed over a letter from Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to US President George W. Bush.

The Foreign Minister met Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his Canadian counterpart. As a follow up of the visit, Canada has given duty and quota free access of products to LDCs including Bangladesh.

Earlier the then Foreign Minister Prof. AQMB Chowdhury also visited the USA in November last year.

Bangladesh's relations with the European Union and its member states remained a priority area in the foreign policy context. A number of achievements were made in the economic field during that brief period. At present EU is the top export destination of Bangladesh's products (48% of the total product). International Jute Study Group is being established in Dhaka. Bangladesh successfully participated in World Apparel Fair, European Seafood Exposition, Bangladesh Trade Show in Moscow and Kiev.

The Multilateral Arena:

In the special session of the UNGA on Children, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia apprised the world community of the significant steps taken by the government in realizing the rights of children, other success stories on immunization, integrated nutrition programme, safe motherhood, stopping trafficking in children and reducing child labour, playing a leading role in adopting SAARC Convention on promotion of welfare of children. The effort of Bangladesh in ensuring rights of children and the vision of the Bangladesh Prime Minister were greatly appreciated.

A notable achievement was Bangladesh's active contribution to the UN peacekeeping efforts and its participated in peacekeeping operations. Presently Bangladesh is the major partner in UN peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone. Today Bangladesh has emerged as the largest contributor to peacekeeping operations worldwide under the aegis of the United Nations. The election of Bangladesh to a number of UN bodies in this short period is a recognition of our positive role on the global scene.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia in March this year provided her with an opportunity to interact closely with key Commonwealth colleagues. Importantly, it enabled the Prime Minister to elucidate her government's stance on critical global issues, like terrorism and the means to address it, the importance for a just world trading environment and the need for seriously addressing the question of poverty. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's message was duly reflected in the final outcome of the Commonwealth Summit.

Bangladesh's contribution to all facets of the Commonwealth was manifested in the re-election of our Foreign Minister to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group during the Summit.

Bangladesh effectively participated in the crucial 4th meeting of the Council of Ministers of World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha (November 9-14, 2002). We were active in promoting the legitimate economic interests of the LDCs, which were well reflected in the Doha Ministerial Declaration of WTO. Bangladesh actively participated in the 4th session of the BIMST-EC meeting held in Yangon in December, 2001 and assumed a leading role in raising it to a full-ministerial level in order to give further momentum to the process of BIMST-EC regional cooperation. Another significant achievement for Bangladesh was attained in Monterrey in Mexico where Bangladesh played an important role in forging the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development (18-22 March 2002).

Bangladesh has consistently been playing an important role in promoting the goal of sustainable development and in restoring clarity, direction and momentum about the core issues that define sustainable development-growth, equity and conservation. The present government's steadfast commitment was reflected in Bangladesh's active participation in the second, third and fourth PrepCom meetings held in New York and Bali, Indonesia within the first six months of this year under the aegis of the United Nations. The specific problem of Bangladesh arsenic contamination of ground water has also been well reflected in the global discussions. Bangladesh stands poised to effectively participate in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which has just begun in Johannesburg in South Africa. The Government of Bangladesh is determined to play a vibrant and strong role in arriving at the new Johannesburg Plan of Implementation to assure the fragile earth a process of self-sustained growth and development which is pro-poor, pro-equity and pro-participatory governance.

Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan paid a visit to Sierra Leone and saw the voluntary involvement of Bangladesh troops in various community development activities beyond their official mandate. During his meetings with the President and Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance, Bangladesh's readiness to collaborate in areas like health, agriculture and poverty alleviation came up in the discussion.

Zimbabwean Minister for Industry and International Trade carried a letter for Prime Minister of Bangladesh from the President of Zimbabwe. South African First Lady Mrs. Zanele Mbeki came on a visit to gather first-hand knowledge on micro-credit programmes.

The last one year has been a watershed in the conduct of our foreign policy both in the multilateral and bilateral contexts. There has been a re-infusion of dynamism and pro-active engagement with major global and regional actors. Relations even with small states especially in the neighbourhood have been fine-tuned and each given individual content. There has been a general effort to rationalize relations with foreign countries with economic thrust. The achievements during last one year are indicative of the manner in which the government will be conducting the foreign relations of Bangladesh for image building, safeguarding national interest and security, economic development and for furthering global peace and development.