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Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Thursday said Bangladesh has overcome what he described as a “kneeling foreign policy” and is now pursuing a self-reliant and confident diplomatic approach that enables the country to stand tall in the international arena.
He made the remarks in Parliament while replying to a supplementary question from ruling party lawmaker Mohammad Fazle Huda of Naogaon-3.
The foreign minister said Bangladesh has gained the ability to stand on its own feet and uphold its national interests globally due to the successful and far-sighted foreign policy pursued by the present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
“Bangladesh has been able to stand on its own feet and hold its head high in the international arena through a successful foreign policy,” he said, adding that the country’s diplomacy would be taken forward in a more organised manner based on the Prime Minister’s vision.
Responding to a question on the performance of Bangladesh missions abroad and efforts to expand overseas employment opportunities, Dr Khalilur said the government is considering introducing a special reward system for diplomatic missions that perform exceptionally well.
He said the proposed system would recognise embassies and missions that successfully create new employment opportunities, explore labour markets, increase manpower exports and contribute significantly to trade promotion.
The foreign minister criticised the diplomatic management of the previous administration, alleging that Bangladesh’s foreign policy and overseas missions had not been under effective government oversight during the past 15 years.
“There was no visible interest or effective monitoring by the previous government regarding the activities of Bangladesh missions abroad, services for expatriate Bangladeshis or the protection of the country’s economic and political interests,” he said.
According to the minister, the present government has succeeded in overcoming what he termed a stagnant and ineffective diplomatic environment after assuming office.
To improve accountability and efficiency, the government is introducing a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system for Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions abroad, he said.
Under the proposed mechanism, the performance of each embassy and mission will be evaluated and graded on the basis of specific indicators.
“Based on the KPI assessment, the performance and grading of every mission will be determined in the future,” he told Parliament.
Dr Khalilur also said lawmakers would be provided with detailed information on the performance of Bangladesh’s diplomatic missions when the national budget is presented next year.
“Members of Parliament have every right to know this information,” he said.
The foreign minister, however, noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to face budgetary constraints, saying its current allocation is inadequate considering Bangladesh’s geographical size, economic priorities and growing diplomatic engagements around the world.