Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman has said Bangladesh`s foreign policy is guided by the principle of putting the country`s interests first, stressing that the nation will never again become a "client state."
"Our government`s foreign policy has, from the very beginning, been centred on one principle—Bangladesh first. We will never return to the status of a client state, never. This is a great responsibility for us. The success of the July struggle has placed a burden on our shoulders, and we must carry that responsibility," he said.
He made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing a programme marking July Mass Uprising Day, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Foreign Minister said, "The prime minister spoke today about ensuring that we never return to the position of being a client state. We are on the front line of that effort. None of you should forget the responsibility we have to carry forward the goals of July in the days ahead."
Recalling his appointment to the government, he said, "When Professor Yunus asked me to join his government, I did not meet him on the day I accepted. Instead, I went to the hospital to visit those who had been injured. When I returned, I told him, `Sir, we must never forget that we are here because we walked over the blood of those people.`"
The foreign minister also said that Turkiye`s foreign minister had recently told him that Bangladesh had once been fading from the international stage but was now making a strong comeback.
"When we hear such remarks, we realise what the prime minister said today while inaugurating the July Memorial Museum—that one of the key aspirations of the July movement was that Bangladesh should never become a client state. What the Turkish foreign minister told me echoed that very message," he said.
Dr. Rahman praised the young people who took part in the July movement, saying they had wrested the country from the grip of "a terrible monster" through a determined struggle and entrusted it to the current generation.
"We must protect this country with our affection, love, dedication, hard work, talent and wisdom, and continue to move it forward. We in the Foreign Service must never forget our responsibility. Remember at every moment that the martyrs entrusted us with a great responsibility," he added.
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