Bangladesh will pursue a more assertive foreign policy and will no longer bow to pressure from any country, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman told Parliament on Thursday.
Speaking during the question-answer session, Khalilur said the government had moved away from what he described as a submissive foreign policy of the past and was committed to protecting Bangladesh’s national interests.
“Bangladesh will never again bow its head before anyone. We have buried the submissive foreign policy,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Naogaon-3 lawmaker Md Fazley Houda.
The foreign minister credited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership for what he described as a strong and successful foreign policy, saying Bangladesh was now standing with its “head held high”.
Khalilur also said the government was preparing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for every Bangladeshi diplomatic mission abroad. Their performance would be assessed against those indicators, with relevant information to be presented to Parliament during the next budget.
Referring to the previous Awami League government, he alleged that Bangladesh’s foreign policy had largely not remained under its own control during its 15-year rule.
On the Ganges Water-sharing Treaty, Khalilur said Bangladesh was continuing efforts to secure its fair share of water from common rivers. A team has been formed to prepare a new agreement following the expiry of the existing treaty, and India has already been informed about the initiative, he said.
“We are now waiting for their response,” the minister added.
On the Teesta project, Khalilur said Bangladesh had begun a technical assessment in cooperation with China. Further decisions would be taken after the evaluation is completed.
The third session of the current Parliament began at 3:00pm on Thursday, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair. The opening hour was dedicated to the question-answer session.
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