Bangladesh Defense
Saif
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2024
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The US factor
Touhid Hossain said the United States (US) or some other countries like them might discourage Dhaka to deepen ties with China against the backdrop of growing geopolitical polarisation, but Bangladesh was committed to maintain a balanced and non-aligned foreign policy.
We are not really leaning towards China; we are protecting our own interests . . . and at the same time, we have our relations with the US as well.
Touhid Hossain, Foreign adviser
Dhaka remained focused on protecting its own national interests rather than aligning with any particular bloc.
“We are not really leaning towards China; we are protecting our own interests . . . and at the same time, we have our relations with the US as well,” he said.
The foreign adviser acknowledged the evolving global dynamics marked by increased bipolarity, but argued that the lines between blocs were not always rigid or clear.
“The global environment is bipolar -- this bloc and that bloc -- but this is not perfect,” he said.
Hossain, as a career diplomat by background, said even the US continued to maintain advancing ties with Pakistan, despite its strategic relations with India amid the broader context of China’s ties with Islamabad.
This complexity, he suggested, reflects the need for countries like Bangladesh to remain pragmatic and interest-driven in their external engagements.
Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government Md Touhid Hossain and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York on 23 September 2024.X/Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also acknowledged ongoing trade-related discussions with the United States, and expressed his optimism regarding the tariff issue with the US.
The adviser said in the past year, Washington saw a regime change when President Donald Trump assumed the presidency defeating his Democratic Party rival Kamala Harris.
“But Dhaka-Washington relations remained as good as it was,” Hossain.
Rohingya repatriation
Touhid Hossain admitted that despite Bangladesh’s continued humanitarian efforts to shelter over a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas for the past eight years the prospect of meaningful repatriation remained a distant possibility.
He, however, cited recent developments at the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, where Myanmar agreed to verify a group of its nationals.
“This is a complex process, but we are hopeful. Still, unless peace returns to Rakhine, repatriation will not be possible . . . we follow international norms, we cannot forcibly send anyone back,” the adviser said.
Expansion of diplomatic missions
Over the past year, Dhaka had been trying to expand its global diplomatic footprint with the opening of several new missions, including a new High Commission in New Zealand and a consulate in Johor Bahru of Malaysia, in the coming months.
“We will be able to open missions in New Zealand and Johor Bahru within three months as we received the finance approval,” Hossain said, adding he was also planning to open another consulate in Penang to support the large migrant worker community in Malaysia.
He further said the public administration ministry recently gave its nod to open six more embassies and consulates reflecting the interim government’s commitment to strengthen bilateral engagements and ensuring consular services for Bangladeshi nationals abroad.
The adviser said Dhaka, however, attached immediate priorities to open a consulate at China’s Guangzhou and a full-fledged embassy in Ireland.
“We will try to convince the Finance Adviser to approve these immediately,” Touhid said, adding that the remaining missions could be rolled out in a phased manner over the next year depending on budgetary clearance.
Expatriate welfare reforms
Hossain said that one of the key priorities of the current interim government is to ease the suffering of Bangladeshi expatriate workers, especially those residing in the Middle East and Malaysia.
He highlighted various steps being taken to improve consular services, particularly concerning passport issuance. Citing the example of Oman, the adviser said e-passports were now being delivered directly to the applicants’ homes through Oman Post, eliminating the need for a second in-person visit.
“We’re trying to ensure that our expatriates don’t lose work hours. We’ve also instructed our missions to provide shaded waiting areas for service seekers -- Jeddah has already implemented this,” he noted.
Hossain also addressed deeper challenges faced by the migrant workers, including the high cost of migration, which he linked to illegal activities and exploitation.
To address these issues, he said, the foreign ministry proposed to station one more expatriates’ welfare officer and one more passport officer at each of the busiest missions in the Middle East to better serve the large migrant worker community.
Internal reforms in Foreign Ministry
“We are not appointing anyone at the ministry on a contractual basis. Not a single person has been hired that way (in the last one year),” Touhid Hossain said, underlining rationalisation efforts within the ministry.
He acknowledged the challenge of running more than 70 missions with just 400 cadre officers while one-third of them were stationed at headquarters in Dhaka.
“We will not leave any post vacant in the Middle East (considering remittance earning expats benefits). If necessary, we will leave some positions vacant in Europe instead,” he added.
Hossain concluded by reiterating the government’s commitment to building constructive, balanced, and pragmatic diplomatic ties that serve Bangladesh’s long-term national interest while maintaining respect and reciprocity with all nations.
Touhid Hossain said the United States (US) or some other countries like them might discourage Dhaka to deepen ties with China against the backdrop of growing geopolitical polarisation, but Bangladesh was committed to maintain a balanced and non-aligned foreign policy.
We are not really leaning towards China; we are protecting our own interests . . . and at the same time, we have our relations with the US as well.
Touhid Hossain, Foreign adviser
Dhaka remained focused on protecting its own national interests rather than aligning with any particular bloc.
“We are not really leaning towards China; we are protecting our own interests . . . and at the same time, we have our relations with the US as well,” he said.
The foreign adviser acknowledged the evolving global dynamics marked by increased bipolarity, but argued that the lines between blocs were not always rigid or clear.
“The global environment is bipolar -- this bloc and that bloc -- but this is not perfect,” he said.
Hossain, as a career diplomat by background, said even the US continued to maintain advancing ties with Pakistan, despite its strategic relations with India amid the broader context of China’s ties with Islamabad.
This complexity, he suggested, reflects the need for countries like Bangladesh to remain pragmatic and interest-driven in their external engagements.
Foreign Affairs Adviser to the interim government Md Touhid Hossain and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York on 23 September 2024.X/Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also acknowledged ongoing trade-related discussions with the United States, and expressed his optimism regarding the tariff issue with the US.
The adviser said in the past year, Washington saw a regime change when President Donald Trump assumed the presidency defeating his Democratic Party rival Kamala Harris.
“But Dhaka-Washington relations remained as good as it was,” Hossain.
Rohingya repatriation
Touhid Hossain admitted that despite Bangladesh’s continued humanitarian efforts to shelter over a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas for the past eight years the prospect of meaningful repatriation remained a distant possibility.
He, however, cited recent developments at the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, where Myanmar agreed to verify a group of its nationals.
“This is a complex process, but we are hopeful. Still, unless peace returns to Rakhine, repatriation will not be possible . . . we follow international norms, we cannot forcibly send anyone back,” the adviser said.
Expansion of diplomatic missions
Over the past year, Dhaka had been trying to expand its global diplomatic footprint with the opening of several new missions, including a new High Commission in New Zealand and a consulate in Johor Bahru of Malaysia, in the coming months.
“We will be able to open missions in New Zealand and Johor Bahru within three months as we received the finance approval,” Hossain said, adding he was also planning to open another consulate in Penang to support the large migrant worker community in Malaysia.
He further said the public administration ministry recently gave its nod to open six more embassies and consulates reflecting the interim government’s commitment to strengthen bilateral engagements and ensuring consular services for Bangladeshi nationals abroad.
The adviser said Dhaka, however, attached immediate priorities to open a consulate at China’s Guangzhou and a full-fledged embassy in Ireland.
“We will try to convince the Finance Adviser to approve these immediately,” Touhid said, adding that the remaining missions could be rolled out in a phased manner over the next year depending on budgetary clearance.
Expatriate welfare reforms
Hossain said that one of the key priorities of the current interim government is to ease the suffering of Bangladeshi expatriate workers, especially those residing in the Middle East and Malaysia.
He highlighted various steps being taken to improve consular services, particularly concerning passport issuance. Citing the example of Oman, the adviser said e-passports were now being delivered directly to the applicants’ homes through Oman Post, eliminating the need for a second in-person visit.
“We’re trying to ensure that our expatriates don’t lose work hours. We’ve also instructed our missions to provide shaded waiting areas for service seekers -- Jeddah has already implemented this,” he noted.
Hossain also addressed deeper challenges faced by the migrant workers, including the high cost of migration, which he linked to illegal activities and exploitation.
To address these issues, he said, the foreign ministry proposed to station one more expatriates’ welfare officer and one more passport officer at each of the busiest missions in the Middle East to better serve the large migrant worker community.
Internal reforms in Foreign Ministry
“We are not appointing anyone at the ministry on a contractual basis. Not a single person has been hired that way (in the last one year),” Touhid Hossain said, underlining rationalisation efforts within the ministry.
He acknowledged the challenge of running more than 70 missions with just 400 cadre officers while one-third of them were stationed at headquarters in Dhaka.
“We will not leave any post vacant in the Middle East (considering remittance earning expats benefits). If necessary, we will leave some positions vacant in Europe instead,” he added.
Hossain concluded by reiterating the government’s commitment to building constructive, balanced, and pragmatic diplomatic ties that serve Bangladesh’s long-term national interest while maintaining respect and reciprocity with all nations.
