Comments by the Hon'ble Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan, MP, addressing members of Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB) on 27 June 2006 at State Guest House, Padma

Dear DCAB Members,

It gives me great pleasure to meet the new executives and members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB). Although we meet often and exchange views on many issues, today's meeting is a little special as we are gathered here to welcome the newly elected office bearers and members of your association.

We in the foreign office are in the business of formulating and implementing our Foreign Policy. Your job, as DCAB members, is to project it to the people through print and visual media. Our roles are complementary. Our regular interactions and belief in transparency and freedom of press advance our national interest through better projection of our foreign policy objectives and accomplishments.

Modern diplomacy? is as topical as it is challenging. Today, strong external publicity remains critical in advancing our foreign policy priorities in the web of multiple exchanges and initiatives that form global diplomacy. Despite limitations, we are trying to uphold six priorities, which governs our foreign policy.

I) Projection of our image as a moderate, modernizing Democracy with a Muslim majority.

II) Playing an active role as a responsible and contributing member of the international community. We place particular focus on participation in global peacekeeping efforts, combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as well as eliminating the scourge of endemic poverty.

III) Energizing economic diplomacy i.e. seeking a competitive edge in today's globalized world in five key areas such as trade (access to new markets and enhancing export potential in old ones); investment; manpower development and employment generation abroad; development cooperation as well as information and communication technology (ICT).

IV) Reinforcing extended neighbourhood diplomacy and exploring new areas of relationship. (From Look East Policy to energizing our South Asia and West Asia ties);

V) Consolidating relations with traditional friends and development partners (US and Europe) as well as looking for new opportunities in Russia, the former CIS states and Eastern Europe; and

VI) Strengthening regional, inter-regional and multilateral cooperation through pro-active policy and innovative and imaginative initiatives.
In pursuit of these priorities, we are making sustained efforts on three fronts.

I. Bilateral

It is Bangladesh's unwavering policy to maintain close relations with all its neighbours on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs as well as settlement of outstanding bilateral issues through meaningful dialogue and negotiation.

II. Regional

The government is committed to maintain the positive momentum and credibility of SAARC, to promote its socio-economic mandate, to create a broad-based climate of confidence building and to reduce tension in the region. The most compelling security challenges facing South Asia are eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable growth, reform and development. We believe security goes beyond the weapons a nation possesses. It is attained by raising living standards and building stable and healthy democracies. This was the guiding motivation for SAARC, based on the vision and pragmatism of its chief architect late President Ziaur Rahman. The core element was to visibly improve the quality of life of the ordinary South Asian man, woman and child in an environment of peace, harmony and active cooperation.

Our commitment to other regional fora, scuh as BIMSTEC, ACD, ARF and the Kunming Initiative is strong. We believe that regional cooperation can help us develop partnerships with countries that share with us similar development experiences and thus have potential for win-win cooperation. They also help us reduce our dependency on our traditional cooperation partners by widening market opportunities and generating greater flow of investment into the country.

III. Global

A cardinal priority for Bangladesh is to play a strong role, through concrete initiatives, mixed with moderation and pragmatism, in all socio-economic forums to promote the cause of developing countries as a whole and least developed countries in particular. This calls for the formulation of strategies to stop falling investment, to restructure and reduce debt as well as to promote trade and encourage technology transfer.

A fundamental impetus for Bangladesh is to strengthen the role of the United Nations as the central organ for the cooperative management of the world's problems. Our membership of the OIC, the Commonwealth and NAM have enhanced our representative capacity and increased our ability to contribute to the great goals of peace, security, justice and development. Bangladesh's commitment to peacekeeping manifested itself in the participation of our military and police contingents in many areas of conflicts.

Bangladesh remains committed to the cause of unity, peace and progress of the Muslim Ummah. Our support for the cause of Palestine and for a peaceful and durable resolution of the Middle East problem including Arab sovereignty over Holy Jerusalem is an abiding commitment.

We are seeking to forge a new agenda in keeping with circumstances of our times. We have already identified two key areas: (1) the impact of globalization and (2) new ideas and techniques generated by technology in general and information technology in particular.

Globalization has profound implications, both good and bad. We need to isolate the negative factors. Science and technology have narrowed the information and communication gap. Economic forces and markets, especially the mobility of capital, labour and business, have transcended national frontiers. Computers, data links, satellite communications, e-mail and fax recognize no borders. We cannot close the gates on them. Exchange of information today, is wider, faster, and freer with tremendous power to change human affairs. We cannot but open our doors to fresh ideas and new trends. The only real legacy we can leave for our people is not monuments but the reality of peace, the freedom of choice and the push for development. This is what our Foreign Policy aims to attain.

I hope you would help achieve these goals through your constructive writings and projection in the media. In the area of information gathering and dissemination, I wish you would use your skills to put information in proper context and identify trends and signals in a way that cater to our national objectives in this challenging and changing global milieu.

Before concluding, let me break a couple of good news to you. First, at the last SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, journalists have been included the Revised Consolidated List of Categories of Entitled Persons Under SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme. Second, I have asked the Administrative Wing of the Ministry to set up a lounge for DCAB at the Foreign Ministry soon.

Thank you very much.