Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has highlighted the importance of regional economic cooperation but cited current tensions with India over actions taken by Bangladeshi students.
"In the process, all of us benefit (regional economy) from that. So I said, we think about the regional economy. This is what we should be doing. We have problems with India right now because they didn't like what the students have done," he said during a conversation in New York.
Asia Society and the Asia Society Policy Institute hosted the Chief Adviser for an address on Wednesday. It was moderated by Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asia Society.
Prof Yunus introduced National Citizen Party (NCP) member secretary Akhter Hossen and first senior joint member secretary Dr Tasnim Jara to the audience.
Prof Yunus said they (India) are hosting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Hasina who created all these problems and killed the young people.
"And that creates a lot of tension between India and Bangladesh. Also lots of fake news is coming from the other side. This is a very bad thing," Prof Yunus said.
Prof Yunus flagged the fake news of the Islamist movement saying these are the Talibans and they have been trained. "They even said, I'm a Taliban too. I don't have a beard. I just left it home," he quipped.
Talking about the regional economy, Prof Yunus said, "You have to go through Bangladesh. You can invest in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is going to invest in your territory. That's the whole idea of the SAARC."
On SAARC, Prof Yunus said SAARC is a family of very close family members.
He said the whole idea of SAARC was born in Bangladesh and Bangladesh is the one who promoted this idea, capital by capital in all the South Asian countries.
Prof Yunus said they wanted to bring this together so that young people can get in touch with each other, all regions, not just one country, all the countries in South Asia.
He said it is important that they can visit each other, make friendship with each other, study in universities, colleges, wherever they are, and do business in each other's countries.
Prof Yunus said, "That was the whole idea. Our history gives us the opportunity to make that happen, but somehow it didn't fit into the politics of some one country, so we have to stop that. We feel very sorry for that. We want to make sure that we open it up and bring people together. That is the only way to solve our issues. "
"Look, Bangladesh economy is defined by the boundaries of Bangladesh. But while we remain ourselves within the boundaries of Bangladesh, this is a very narrow way of looking at yourself," Prof Yunus said.
"I said why don't you look at the neighbors, like Nepal, Bhutan, and also the seven states of India. In the eastern part of Bangladesh, there are seven states that don't have any access to the ocean. These are landlocked regions," he said.
The current Chair of ASEAN is Malaysia and it is not easy to get everybody's yes right away, particularly Myanmar, which has a problem with the Rohingyas, Prof Yunus said.
"So they may not come forward, but we'll work on it. We don't see this will begin permanent trouble between Myanmar and Bangladesh. We don't have to have that. So we have to resolve all these issues," he said, adding that the Rohingyas could go back to Myanmar, to their homes, businesses and their professions.
Prof Yunus said they will have a good relationship with Myanmar. "Having this kind of conflict with each other doesn't help anybody. So, we have to resolve that."
He said Bangladesh can become an informal member of ASEAN and there is a provision there.
"We can do that. ASEAN would be a good place to go and you can build it up with regional harmony and regional interconnectivity," he said.
In a separate meeting, the Chief Adviser said trials of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cronies are a top priority of his government.
During a meeting with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, on the sidelines of the UNGA on Wednesday (New York time), Prof Yunus stressed that the trials were being conducted in accordance with international legal standards.
“Despite facing trial, she continues to make incendiary and destabilising remarks,” Prof Yunus said, adding that the interim government has sought her extradition to face justice.
The President of Finland met with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus on Wednesday.
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During the meeting, the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh, United Nations reform, the Rohingya crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh’s bid to join ASEAN, the trials of Sheikh Hasina and her associates, and the country's efforts to access hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan.
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Prof Yunus expressed gratitude to the international community for its continued support of the interim government since it assumed office in August last year.
“International support for our government over the past 14 months has been overwhelming,” he said.
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He reaffirmed the interim government’s commitment to holding free, fair, and credible elections in February, allowing the country’s 126 million voters to cast their ballots peacefully and in a festive atmosphere.
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“Our people have been deprived of a free and fair election for the past 15 years. Now, they are eagerly looking forward to February,” the Chief Adviser added.
Prof Yunus told President Stubb that major political and institutional reforms were underway in Bangladesh.
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He noted that political parties are expected to sign the July Charter, a framework for deeper political reform.