The Awami League government had to face bitterness in relationship with various countries and organizations in the world before the 12th national elections. However, the situation has changed a lot after the formation of government after the elections.
AL has formed the government 4 times at a stretch after winning in the elections on January 11. Many state and their heads of government has congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government and still its going on. Even, the US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas also expresses their commitment to work in improving the relations between two countries after holding a meeting with foreign minister Hasan Mahmud. He lauded the dynamic and stable relationship between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the finance minister, just in the first week of his taking charge of the ministry, held meeting with World Bank, Indian High Commissioner, ADB and other development partners. There, World Bank Resident Representative Abdoulaye Seck and Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali both stressed the importance of strengthening the relationship between the two partners. In the meeting, there was a discussion about what to do in Bangladesh to deal with the ongoing global crisis. Apart from this, World Bank has reiterated its commitment to continue all kinds of assistance to Bangladesh's ongoing economic crisis and development activities.
A source in the finance department said next week the officials of the finance ministry will meet with Islamic Development Bank-IDB, Japan International Cooperation Agency-JICA and other development partners. The Ministry of Finance and Planning will also hold a series of meetings with development partners including USA, UK, European Union. Development partners including World Bank, ADB, IMF, JICA will increase the support for the development of Bangladesh. As a part of strengthening diplomatic relations with the outside world, the Prime Minister's foreign tour may begin next March. Before June, contacts with 32 development partner countries and organizations will begin regarding the Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) conference.
Meanwhile, on the invitation of Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar, Dr. hasan Mahmud is going to visit India on February 7. The Minister gave this information in a briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. He said the detailed schedule of the visit has not been finalized yet. However, this trip can be of three days. This is going to be his first bilateral visit after assuming the new charge of foreign minister.
When asked about this, the former chief economist of the World Bank Dhaka office, Zahid Hossain told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The kind of chaos that was feared before and after the election did not happen. It is very comforting for our internal politics. At the same time, a positive signal is going to the outside world through it. Now we have to focus on developing diplomatic relations to deal with the ongoing crisis. At the same time, attention should be given to the reform of the financial sector.”
Sources in the Finance Department and the Planning Commission say that strengthening relations with the US, Canada and Europe will be a priority in the foreign policy of the new government. Looking at Asia and South America, helping to weld the labor market in the Middle East are in the list. Apart from this, there is a section in the country that is against India, Russia and China which is needed to handle tactfully. Initiatives will be taken to improve relations with the United Nations. The permanent mission of Bangladesh will be reorganized there. The scope of work and policy of the Permanent Mission of the United Nations will be taken in such a way that it contributes to the development of relations.
Prominent economist and former advisor to the caretaker government AB Mirza Azizul Islam told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The tenure of the United States government under the leadership of Biden has come to an end. No matter which ideological government comes to power in the United States, the development of relations with Bangladesh-America should be given utmost importance.”
In addition, he advised to focus on developing relations with other global organizations or UN bodies like WHO, WTO, FAO, UNHCR and other organizations. Apart from that, in terms of economic development and regional security, this analyst believes that there is no alternative to good relations with China, India, Russia, USA and EU countries.
Meanwhile, the US has imposed the highest tariff on exports of apparel and textile products from Bangladesh. Bangladesh has to pay 16 percent duty to export these products to the United States. But India and China can export these products to the United States with only 5 percent duty. Only Bangladesh and Cambodia have been imposed with such high tariffs in the world. If the United States withdraws this tariff, it would be possible to give American buyers 16 percent lower prices of clothing and textile sector products. But Bangladesh government has not appointed any lobbyist group in the past. This issue is being deeply thought about. If necessary, lobbyists can also be appointed, said a source in the WTO branch in the Ministry of Commerce.
On the other hand, Dr. Hasan Mahmood said in his first event as Foreign Minister, "I will emphasize economic diplomacy as my main focus. As part of economic diplomacy, Dhaka is keen to explore expanded economic relations, particularly with countries in Africa and South America. In the background of increasing global polarization, maintaining relations with the countries of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres has emerged as a major challenge.”
The minister also said that Eastern and Western countries have shown interest in working with Dhaka. Ambassadors of all countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, congratulated the new government and expressed their desire to work with Dhaka because of free and fair elections held by us.
(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 19 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque Khan)
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