President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and former Ambassador Humayun Kabir on Thursday laid emphasis on reviewing the foreign policy regularly to effectively engage with other countries economically and culturally, noting that Bangladesh has made only minor adjustments over the last five decades.

“You might be surprised to know that in the 54 years since our independence, there have only been two major changes in our foreign policy. In contrast, the United States reviews its foreign and defense policies every four years,” he said while speaking at a dialogue in the city.

The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted the dialogue session to discuss Bangladesh’s foreign policy at the CIRDAP (Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific) auditorium, moderated by CGS President Zillur Rahman. 

The former diplomat said how they can engage economically and culturally with 192 other countries if they do not regularly review the foreign policy.

“We are standing on one leg with our export dependency. We rely heavily on other countries for energy and have failed to diversify in the past 40 years,” Ambassador Kabir said.

Ambassador Kabir said the key element to democratic reconstruction is engaging in conversations and dialogue with key stakeholders.

He said the greatest challenge they face in Bangladeshi diplomacy is Dhaka itself. “I can conduct diplomacy with other countries, but when I return to Dhaka, I face difficulties in getting deals finalised.”

The foreign affairs expert said they (Bangladeshis) have a tendency toward internal conflict, which is a major reason they fail to establish a strong foreign policy.

He said political actors often use external forces to undermine their opposition. “We must remember that foreign policy is a two-way street we only decide half of it; the other half is determined by the country we are negotiating with. In recent global conflicts, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish allies from adversaries.”

President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Maj Gen (Retd) ANM Muniruzzaman; Executive Director of Centre for Governance Studies Parvez Karim Abbasi; former Ambassador M Shafiullah; BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council Member  Zahir Uddin Swapon; Secretary General, Jatiya Party Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary; Chairman, AB Party Mojibur Rahman Monju; former Chairman of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad; security analyst Major Md Emdadul Islam (Retd); former State Minister Abul Hasan Chowdhury; former diplomat Shahidul Islam; former Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury; Organiser, Noitik SAMAJ Bangladesh Major Gen. (Retd) Amsa Amin; Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Dhaka Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah; Honorary Consul General of Mongolia to Bangladesh Nasreen Fatema Awal; Chairman at Nationalist Democratic Movement - NDM Bobby Hajjaj; Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies Shafqat Munir; Adviser to the BNP acting Chairperson Mahdi Amin; Chairperson and Founder, Centre for Non-Resident Bangladeshis M S Shekil Chowdhury; Chief Coordinator, Gonosonghoti Andolon Zonayed Saki; President, Gono Odhikar Parishad Nurul Haq Nur; Joint General Secretary and Women wing Coordinator, AB Party Barrister Nasrin Sultana Mili.

Muniruzzaman said the revolutionary aspirations have not been reflected in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Fascism is an ecosystem. To restructure, we must remove the collaborators of fascism within the Foreign Ministry.”

He said the private sector must be included in foreign policy and bureaucrats alone will not suffice. “We must begin working on climate diplomacy.”

Muniruzzaman said embassies need to be strengthened to protect the interests of expatriates and SAARC must be revitalized.

“We must also become defenders of human rights. Our maritime policy needs to be redefined and communicated to foreign nations. Water diplomacy is crucial for us. We are about to face new challenges regarding water,” he said.

“We must enhance our capabilities in cybersecurity. We need to acquire new skills in technology. We must think about how to align ourselves with all countries,” Muniruzzaman said.

Zillur Rahman said the word ‘reform’ has now become a hated term and foreign policy is extremely important for the national security.

“Over the past fifteen years, our relationship with Pakistan has not been good. Our ties with India have been better,” he said.

“The U.S. tariffs are now structured in a way that you either align with them or with China. Our economic situation is improving. However, the unemployment rate has increased, and the state of human rights is also in a troubling condition. Our relationship with the United States remains strained. Balancing relations with both China and India is also very crucial,” he said.

Zahir Uddin Swapon said there needs to be a shift in political culture which will create a harmony in terms of foreign policy.

“We are an import-based economy. Our sources of foreign currency are remittances and the RMG (Ready-Made Garments) sector. For exports, we rely heavily on the United States and Europe. We’ve become increasingly dependent on loans. Cybersecurity needs to be understood in depth,” he said.

He said for them, there is no alternative to SAARC. “Strengthening regional relationships is crucial, and SAARC plays a vital role in that. The Bay of Bengal is one of the key strategic areas for the indo-pacific, for economic shipment of the eastern sphere we are in a very important place.”

Swapon said whoever comes into power in the next elections need to keep all of these things in mind in designing their foreign policy.