United News of Bangladesh

Despite occasional tensions, Bangladesh and India continue to value goodwill and good neighbourliness, recognising that cooperation, not confrontation, best serves the interests of the two close neighbours bound by shared history, borders and cultural ties. The recent visit by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to Bangladesh signals a renewed emphasis on advancing this spirit of good neighbourliness and partnership based on mutual respect. “For any country in diplomacy, relations with neighbors get priority, especially for those who are not global powers - for example, Bangladesh. For them, relations with neighbors are very important,” said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, highlighting the importance of relations with big and small neighbors. The Adviser, who believes in the country’s permanent interest, said one of their key tasks is to maintain good relations with all small and big neighbors and try to get benefits out of that. Bangladesh is connected with India through trade, connectivity, water sharing, security and people-to-people exchanges. “When Bangladesh and India remain sensitive to each other’s concerns and avoid actions that undermine the other’s interests, it helps reduce misunderstandings and build confidence,” said a diplomat. Prepared to engage with any govt emerges through inclusive polls in Bangladesh: India Such an approach, the diplomat thinks, strengthens regional stability, supports economic growth, and enables both nations to address common challenges through dialogue. Adviser Hossain said foreign policy is, to a large extent, influenced by domestic policy. “You can’t forget it.” During an event at IIT Madras in Chennai, Jaishankar on Friday replied to a question on India’s neighborhood policy and Bangladesh issues, days after attending the funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. Good Neighbours He highlighted the difference between “good neighbors” and “bad neighbors,” and said India supports and assists countries that maintain cooperative ties. He cited examples such as vaccine diplomacy, economic aid and crisis support. At the same time, he asserted India’s right to defend itself against neighbors that persist with terrorism, stressing that New Delhi’s approach is guided by common sense and national interest. “If you have a neighbor who is good to you, or at least who is not harmful to you, your natural instinct is to be kind and to help that neighbor. If the neighbor has a problem, you would like to contribute in some way. If nothing else, you will say hello, you will try to build friendships and bonding, and that is what we do as a country,” Jaishankar said. He said whenever there is a spirit of good neighborliness, India chooses to invest, help and share. “With good neighbors, India invests, helps and shares, whether it was vaccines during COVID, fuel and food support during the Ukraine conflict, or the $4 billion assistance to Sri Lanka during its financial crisis.” Wishing Bangladesh well for the upcoming national election, Jaishankar said the sense of neighborliness in the region will grow once things settle down. "Right now, they (Bangladesh) are heading for elections. We wish them well in that election. We hope that once things settle down, the sense of neighborliness in this region will grow," he said. Jaishankar wishes Bangladesh well for polls, hopes deepened neighbourly ties Highlighting the growth of India, Jaishankar said if India grows, all its neighbors will grow with them. "We will have many more opportunities. I think that in a sense is the message that I also took to Bangladesh," said Jaishankar who visited Bangladesh recently. Bad Neighbours Jaishankar also spoke about India’s “bad neighbours” and said if a country decides to “deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism” India has the right to protect itself from such “neighbours”. “We will exercise that right. How we exercise that right is up to us. Nobody can tell us what we should do or not. We will do whatever we have to do to defend ourselves. It is a common sense proposition,” he said. South Asian nations’ gesture highlights Khaleda’s respect, stature: Foreign Adviser The Indian External Affairs Minister said if there is no good neighbourliness, “you do not get the benefits of that good neighbourliness. You cannot say, "Please share water with me, but I will continue terrorism with you.” Economic Interests Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has recently said Bangladesh manages its ties with India by keeping economic interests distinct from political rhetoric, with trade-related decisions driven by competitiveness and national interest rather than diplomacy. “Our trade policy is not driven by political considerations. If importing rice from India is cheaper than sourcing it from Vietnam or elsewhere, then it makes economic sense to buy from India,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase. Salehuddin said Bangladesh would import essentials such as rice from India if prices remain competitive, regardless of the prevailing political discourse between the two neighbours, mentioning that imports from alternative markets could cost Tk 10 more per kilogram. Khaleda's passing leaves irreplaceable void, but her vision, legacy will endure: Modi Salehuddin stressed that Bangladesh has never pursued punitive trade measures against India for political reasons. “We do not believe in using trade as a tool for political retaliation. Our priority is to ensure supplies at the best possible price for our people,” he added. Deep Relations “Relations between Bangladesh and India are so deep ... .it will remain good in the future. There is no alternative to maintaining good relations between the two countries,” said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus recently. Referring to huge "interdependencies" on each other, he said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is historically, politically and economically very close and they cannot deviate from this. Bangladesh will hold a high-stakes national election on February 12 the first polls since mass uprising last year, excluding the Bangladesh Awami League, activities of which remain suspended. The Chief Adviser said Bangladesh is fully prepared to hold 'free, fair, and peaceful' elections on February 12 next year. Jaishankar hands over PM Modi’s personal letter to Tarique Rahman Highlighting the importance of stability and inclusive elections in Bangladesh, India said it wants close and friendly relations with the people of Bangladesh, which is rooted in the liberation struggle and strengthened through various development and people-to-people initiatives. “We are in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections conducted in a peaceful atmosphere,” Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has laid emphasis on maintaining "balanced relations" while pursuing its broader foreign policy, noting that the term "non-aligned" has become actually almost “defunct” these days. "For a country like Bangladesh, it is extremely important that we maintain a balanced relationship," he said on Monday, adding that very few (countries) are truly non-aligned. Hossain made the remarks while responding to a question at an international seminar at the Foreign Service Academy. While speaking at the closing session of the seminar, the Foreign Adviser said Bangladesh has been very firm on many issues of foreign policy, including the Rohingya crisis. He also referred to the relations between India and China while Bangladesh is maintaining good relations with both. The Foreign Adviser also highlighted the importance of Bangladesh’s relations with the United States where Bangladesh has a huge market and a huge diaspora. In terms of balancing relations with the important countries, Hossain said, they are doing quite well though the evaluation will come at the end of their term, not now. Responding to a question, the Foreign Adviser said technically the Rohingyas are not refugees and they do not address them as refugees but they accept the position of the UNHCR to take care of them. Read: India hopeful of greater trade connectivity, economic engagement with Bangladesh The Foreign Adviser laid emphasis on a complete roadmap in terms of repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin – Rakhine – ensuring their safety and dignity. The Department of International Relations and the Center for Genocide Studies at the University of Dhaka in collaboration with the Foreign Service Academy and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees organized the seminar titled “The Rohingyas in Bangladesh: In Search of a Sustainable Future.”

President Joe Biden plans to deliver a capstone address Monday on his foreign policy legacy, according to the White House. The outgoing president is expected to use his address at the State Department to highlight his administration's efforts to expand NATO, rally dozens of allies to provide Ukraine with a steady stream of military aid to fight Russia, forge a historic agreement between Japan and South Korea to expand security and economic cooperation and more, according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to preview plans for the address. US SC rejects Trump’s bid to delay sentencing in his hush money case Biden also picked the State Department for his first major foreign policy speech at the start of his presidency nearly four years ago. During that February 2021 address, Biden sought to send an unambiguous signal to the world that the United States was ready to resume its role as a global leader after four years in which President Donald Trump pressed an “America First” agenda. But the one-term Democrat will bid farewell to U.S diplomats and make the case for his worldview as Trump prepares to return the White House with plans to drastically overhaul American foreign policy. The president-elect has decried the cost of US support for Ukraine's war effort, called for NATO members to dramatically increase defense spending and said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he insists US control of both is vital to American national security.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said if her party Awami League is re-elected, Bangladesh's development cooperation with all the countries will continue. “Bangladesh has occupied a strong and prestigious place in the international arena due to the success of Awami League’s foreign policy, following the principle of ‘friendship to all, malice towards none’ as directed by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said today while announcing AL’s manifesto for the 12th National Parliamentary Election. The AL President said cooperation with neighboring countries will continue in various areas, including cross-border communication, transit, energy partnership, and equitable water-sharing. Read: Come to polling centres early, cast votes for Boat: PM Hasina at Pirganj rally  She said Bangladesh is firmly determined to prevent the presence of militants, international terrorists, and separatist groups on its territory. The Awami League government will play an important role in forming the South Asia Task Force to combat terrorism and militancy and eliminate them from the entire region, Hasina said. “We believe in peace, not war,” she said, adding that to enhance the defense capability of the armed forces to protect the security, sovereignty, and integrity of the country, the formulation and implementation of ‘Forces Goal-2030’ is ongoing in light of the ‘Defense Policy, 1974’ formulated by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Read: Bangladesh and Kosovo can boost bilateral trade: PM tells outgoing envoy  She said the efficiency and discipline of the defense forces will continue to improve, and management will continue to develop in light of Forces Goal 2030. Hasina said necessary measures will continue to be taken to increase the professional skills of the officers and soldiers of the armed forces and their job opportunities according to the country's capability. “To ensure the security of the country and the people, the capacity building of the defense system will continue. New welfare-oriented schemes and programs will be taken up for all ranks of the armed forces,” PM Hasina said. Read more: In Smart Bangladesh Awami League pledges more safeguards for minorities, end of intolerance

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday (March 06, 2023) asked Bangladeshi diplomats to play an active role in strengthening economic diplomacy in order to sustain the country’s graduation to the developing status through enhancing trade and export with different countries. “Bangladeshi diplomats working in different countries will have to be active in strengthening economic diplomacy alongside brightening the image of the country,” she said. The premier gave the directive at a regional envoy conference, held at her place of residence in Doha, with participation of Bangladeshi diplomats stationed in the Middle Eastern countries. She said since Bangladesh is going to graduate to a developing country, attention is needed on countries where Bangladesh could enhance its trade and business. Read more: Qatar Foundation Chair Nasser meets PM “You will have to discuss and negotiate with all the countries, so that we can sustain as a developing country, move forward, and can finally graduate to a developed country,” she said.    Sheikh Hasina said once diplomacy was a political issue, and now it is an economic issue. “So, those of us who are working (in different countries) will have to identify trade and business opportunities there so that we can boost our exports and import goods at competitive prices.”   “Identify the places where there is demand for our products and where we have the scope to market our goods,” she added. Referring to the policy of Bangladesh to maintain good relations with all countries, the PM reiterated the cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy is ‘friendship to all, malice towards none.’ Read More: Bangladesh open to Qatar’s investment in energy sector: PM tells Doha Investment Summit The premier said Bangladesh would maintain friendly relations with everyone. But when injustice is done, Bangladesh will definitely speak out while maintaining friendly relations, as it did with Myanmar. “…We gave shelter to the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds, but we did not engage in conflict with Myanmar. Bangladesh is making diplomatic efforts to send the Rohingyas back to their homeland,” she said. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni and Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, among others, were present at the conference. The Prime Minister is now visiting Qatar to attend the Fifth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC-5). She arrived in Qatar last Saturday at the invitation of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is scheduled to leave here for Dhaka on Wednesday. Read More: PM Sheikh Hasina arrives in Qatar to join UN conference on LDCs.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, now in Washington, has explained Bangladesh’s engagements with India and China noting that Bangladesh’s foreign policy, like the US one, is all about national interests. He also shared historical background shedding light on the two different roles that India and China played during the War of Liberation in 1971. The foreign minister answered a number of questions at a programme titled “A conversation with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister” on the lessons learned from the last 50 years and the path ahead for US-Bangladesh relations hosted by United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on Tuesday. President and CEO of the USIP Lise Grande delivered opening remarks at the event moderated by Ambassador Teresita Schaffer. As the Biden administration implements its Indo-Pacific strategy, Bangladesh’s relationships with neighbouring India and China suggest that it will draw increasing interest from US policymakers, according to USIP. “We’ve rock-solid relations with India,” Momen said, adding that Bangladesh can never forget the support of India and its people during the 1971 War of Liberation.  Also read:RAB's importance to counterterrorism recognised but lifting sanctions to take time: Blinken

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said Bangladesh will decide its policy towards Afghanistan independently after observing the situation, their attitudes and policies but no terrorists will be patronized. “We’ve zero tolerance...we'll in no way patronise any terrorists,” he told reporters referring to the involvement of few Bangladeshis in Afghanistan in the previous Taliban government. Dr Momen said he was asked whether Bangladesh will follow the policy of India or Pakistan but he made it clear that the decision of Bangladesh is not linked with the decision of any other country. While briefing journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said Bangladesh has a historic relationship with Afghanistan and is observing the situation in Afghanistan which is a member of Saarc. “We believe in democracy. We should ensure people’s welfare and we’re yet to take any decision on the Afghanistan issue,” he said. The Taliban on Tuesday announced an all-male interim government for Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh always believes in a people's government that comes through a political and democratic process and Bangladesh always extends support to such a government where people’s desire is reflected. On Wednesday, State Minister for Foreign Affair M Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh is still waiting for a permanent government in place in Afghanistan without hurriedly reaching a decision whether it will welcome the interim government or not. “We’re still observing the situation very closely. Our focus still remains on peace and stability fully free from any war,” he told reporters at his office. Responding to a question on progress over bringing back BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and other criminals, the Foreign Minister said he cannot tell it exactly as the government is following the issues as per the laws. “I don’t have any such progress report.” Read: Bangladesh to take its policy towards Afghanistan independently

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh will decide its policy towards Afghanistan independently noting that what India or Pakistan is doing is not that much important to Bangladesh. “Bangladesh always decides its foreign policy in the interest of its own and very independently,” he told BBC Bangla in an interview making it clear that the decision of Bangladesh is not linked with that of any other country. The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh always believes in a people's government that comes through a political and democratic process, and it always extends support to such a government where people’s desire is reflected. “We’ll extend support if people’s desire is reflected in the new Afghan government. At this moment, we don’t know as we’re yet to understand the situation in Afghanistan,” Dr Momen said, adding that things will depend on how the new Afghan government acts and what policy it adopts after the formulation of the government. The Foreign Minister, however, said there is a perception to get about the people in Afghanistan as what they want.   Read: Bangladesh observing Afghanistan situation, in touch with stranded citizens

President Joe Biden frequently talks about what he sees as central in executing effective foreign policy: building personal relationships. But unlike his four most recent White House predecessors, who made an effort to build a measure of rapport with Vladimir Putin, Biden has made clear that the virtue of fusing a personal connection might have its limits when it comes to the Russian leader. The president, who is set to meet with Putin face-to-face on Wednesday in Geneva, has repeated an anecdote about his last meeting with Putin, 10 years ago when he was vice president and Putin was serving as prime minister. Putin had taken a break from the presidency because the Russian constitution at the time prohibited a third consecutive term, but he was still seen as Russia’s most powerful leader. Biden recalled to biographer Evan Osnos that during that meeting in 2011, Putin showed him his ornate office in Moscow. Biden recalling poking Putin — a former KGB officer — that “it’s amazing what capitalism will do.” Read:Biden at NATO: Ready to talk China, Russia and soothe allies Biden said he then turned around and standing inches from Putin said, “Mr. Prime Minister, I’m looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you have a soul.” Biden said Putin smiled and responded: “We understand one another.” Biden’s comment was in part a dig at former President George W. Bush, who faced ridicule after his first meeting with Putin when he claimed that he had “looked the man in the eye” and “was able to get a sense of his soul.” But in replaying his decade-old exchange with Putin, Biden also has attempted to demonstrate he is clear-eyed about the Russian leader in a way his predecessors weren’t. Biden and Putin are now meeting again, at a moment when the U.S.-Russia relationship seems to get more complicated by the day. Biden has repeatedly taken Putin to task — and levied sanctions against Russian entities and individuals in Putin’s orbit — over allegations of Russian interference in the 2020 election and the hacking of federal agencies in what is known as the SolarWinds breach. Despite the sanctions, Putin has been unmoved. Cyber attacks in the U.S. originating from Russian-based hackers in recent weeks have also impacted a major oil pipeline and the largest meat supplier in the world. Putin has denied Kremlin involvement. Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia who was with Biden for the 2011 meeting with Putin, said in an interview that Biden might have a deeper skepticism and perhaps more informed view of Putin than any of his White House predecessors. “Biden’s knowledge of the region may be better than anybody that’s held the job,” McFaul said. “Biden has spent time in Georgia. He spent a lot of time in Ukraine. I traveled with him to Moldova, and he’s spent a lot of time in the eastern parts of the NATO alliance. He has been in those places and heard firsthand about Russian aggression and Russian threat. ... It has created a unique component of his analysis of Putin that other presidents have not had.” Indeed, as president, Biden has said he would take a far different tack in his relationship with Putin than former President Donald Trump, who showed unusual deference to Putin, and the three other past U.S. presidents, whose political lives overlapped Putin’s time in power. During his first visit of his presidency to the State Department, in February, Biden told agency employees that the days of “rolling over” for Putin were over — a not-so thinly veiled shot at Trump. Later, in an ABC News interview, Biden answered affirmatively that Putin was “a killer.” Read:As COVID-19 cases wane, vaccine-lagging in USA still see risk Trump’s tendency to genuflect to Putin had many in Washington openly questioning whether the Russians had something embarrassing on the real estate mogul. Both Trump and Putin publicly denied the speculation. Trump repeatedly tried to scotch the notion — underscored by U.S. intelligence findings — that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Asked at their joint news conference at the end of their 2018 summit in Helsinki whom he believed — U.S. intelligence or Putin — Trump demurred. The White House said that Biden would not hold a joint news conference with Putin, but would speak to media on his own after Wednesday’s meeting. Administration officials say that Biden doesn’t want to elevate Putin. Asked Sunday why years of U.S. sanctions haven’t changed Putin’s behavior, Biden laughed and responded: “He’s Vladimir Putin.”″ Barack Obama came into office seeking a reset of the U.S.-Russia relationship, an effort to improve relations with Russian leadership and find areas of common interest. Before his visit to Moscow early in his first term Obama spoke dismissively of Putin, saying the then-prime minister had “one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.” But after meeting face-to-face during the trip, Obama pronounced he was “very convinced the prime minister is a man of today and he’s got his eyes firmly on the future.” That feeling didn’t last. By the time Obama and Putin met on the sidelines of the 2013 Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, the reset effort was on life support. Read:Biden to assure allies, meet Putin during 1st overseas trip At the time, G-8 leaders were unsuccessfully pressing Putin to join a call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden had been allowed to stay in Russia after releasing highly classified American intelligence. Obama and Putin’s disdain for each other was palpable. During a photo opportunity before the press in Northern Ireland, they sat grim faced and avoided looking at each other. In 2014, after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, any vapor of hope for a reset had evaporated. George W. Bush tried mightily to charm Putin, hosting him at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and bringing him to his father’s estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the 43rd and 41st presidents took the Russian president fishing. But Putin ultimately flummoxed Bush and the relationship was badly damaged after Russia’s 2008 invasion of its neighbor Georgia after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to deal with Putin, meeting him for the first time in 1999 at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering months before Putin would succeed Boris Yeltsin as president and a little over a year before the end of Clinton’s presidency. In a phone call with Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair in November 2000, Clinton called Putin “a guy with a lot of ambition for the Russians” but also expressed concern that Putin “could get squishy on democracy,” according to a transcript of the call published by the Clinton Presidential Archives. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week that Biden has known Putin for a long time and “never held back” on voicing his concerns. Read:Face to face: June summit for Biden, Putin as tensions rise “This is not about friendship. It’s not about trust,” Psaki said. “It’s about what’s in the interest of the United States. And, in our view, that is moving toward a more stable and predictable relationship.” Biden has managed several complicated relationships with foreign leaders during his nearly 50 years in national politics. He’s developed a rapport with China’s Xi Jinping — spending days traveling with Xi in the U.S. and China. Biden in recent days has told aides that his relationship with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained strong despite differences over U.S. support for Kurds in northwest Syria and Biden disparaging Erdogan as an autocrat. But Putin has left Biden with fundamentally more difficult problems that personal diplomacy can’t fix, said Rachel Ellehuus, deputy director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “With someone like Erdogan, Xi or the North Korean (Kim Jong Un), Biden has had this sense that we have something they want,” Ellehuus said. “Biden has long recognized that the only thing Putin really wants is to undermine the U.S., to divide NATO, to divide the EU. Biden knows there’s little common ground to work from with Putin.”

The United States has taken note of Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming's recent remarks over "Quad" saying that the US respects Bangladesh’s right to make foreign policy decisions for itself. "What we would say is that we respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, and we respect Bangladesh’s right to make foreign policy decisions for itself," Spokesperson at the US Department of State Ned Price said in a regular briefing on Tuesday. Price said they have an incredibly strong relationship with Bangladesh and work closely with their partners there on a range of issues --from economic growth to climate change to humanitarian issues. Also read: Ambassador Li meets FS; explains his remarks "And when it comes to the Quad, we’ve said this before, but the Quad, it’s an informal, essential, multilateral mechanism that right now conveys – convenes likeminded democracies – the United States, India, Australia, and Japan – to coordinate in the Indo-Pacific, and fundamentally, to push forward our goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," said the Spokesperson. Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Wednesday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and explained his remarks made during the DCAB discussions. The meeting was held after a vaccine handover ceremony at state guesthouse Padma. Also read: It's very regrettable, says FM on China's Quad remarks They discussed different bilateral issues, including Covid cooperation, between the two countries, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. They highlighted the importance of the growing relationship between the two countries. On Monday, the Ambassador attended a programme hosted by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) and talked about a number of issues, including vaccine cooperation. Also read: Beijing wants Dhaka not to join Quad The envoy, while responding to a question, also talked about Quad, an initiative of four countries- the United States, Japan, India and Australia, that was followed by a reaction by Dhaka. Ambassador Li said obviously it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four countries because it will "substantially damage" the bilateral relationship between the two countries. “So, we don’t like to see any form of participation by Bangladesh to this small group of countries,” said the envoy.