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State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said Bangladesh wants to engage with the world on its own terms rather than become a “chessboard” for other countries’ strategic interests.
“We do not want to be a chessboard for other players to play on. We want to play on our own terms,” she said on Saturday (October 3).
She was speaking at a session titled “A World Rewritten” at the fifth Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka. The event was organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS).
Shama said Bangladesh was ready to engage, cooperate and partner with the rest of the world while standing with its head held high. She stressed that the foremost consideration of the country’s foreign policy was the interests of its people.
Referring to the recent Gulf conflict, she said Bangladesh had faced two major challenges: an unexpected energy crisis and the large number of Bangladeshi expatriates living and working in Gulf countries.
She said the government was looking at diversification, new sources and new areas for energy supplies. It was also exploring domestic gas and LNG resources that, she said, had not been adequately explored in the past.
The government was also focusing on solar power and seeking to improve energy self-sufficiency, she said.
On the Rohingya crisis, Shama said Bangladesh had hosted Rohingya refugees for more than a decade, placing an economic burden on the country. At the same time, she said, Bangladesh remained committed to a humanitarian approach.
She said the government was engaging with its partners, friends, development partners and other stakeholders to find effective ways to facilitate the dignified, safe and orderly repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman delivered the inaugural address at the two-day conference, held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.