Dhaka looks for regional breakthrough after achieving peace at home: Foreign minister

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has said Bangladesh achieved peace in society following the July Uprising of 2024, and they are strongly advocating a 'much closer and well-functioning' South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that will deliver to the people of the region.

"Look, peace starts at home, and with our democratic transition, it has been shown, beyond any doubt, that we have achieved a peaceful society in Bangladesh. Then, regional peace," he said, adding that they are also trying to resolve the Rohingya issue, one of the longstanding issues in the region.

The foreign minister, who attended the three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026, said they are in touch with all parties to this conflict and believe that they should be able to make advances in resolving this problem in a peaceful manner.

"At least that's what we are trying right now. And when it comes to global peace, Bangladesh is one of the top contributors to peacekeeping operations," Dr Khalilur told TRT World in an interview before heading towards Brussels.

Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said the democratic transition they have seen in Bangladesh is 'historic - historic for Bangladesh and probably for the world'.

He highlighted the smoothness with which power was transferred after 'extremely well-organised' elections.

The foreign minister said it was the most peaceful in the history of Bangladesh, and the government has assumed responsibility based on a historic mandate in which the ruling party got more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament. "So, it's a very resounding mandate. As far as stability is concerned, it was proven beyond doubt on election day."

Khalilur said they now have a vibrant parliament where policies are debated very vigorously, and a civil society that is very active with a free press.

"So, we have very energetic policy debates. The most important thing is leadership. Our Prime Minister is dedicated to leading the country in a manner that improves the lot of the ordinary people, very substantially and very quickly," he said.

The foreign minister said South Asia is the least integrated region of the world, and it has one-fourth of the World's population, yet intra-regional trade is only 5% compared to 20% in Asean, which is not very good.

"My prime minister's father, President Ziaur Rahman, was the first one who thought of bringing greater integration in this region, and he advanced the idea of South Asian regional cooperation," he said, adding that reviving Saarc is a major foreign policy objective of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The foreign minister said it is through dialogue and diplomacy that they will remove the obstacles to their cooperation. "And that's what we'll be dedicated to."

Asked about the relations with Turkey, the foreign minister said it is an exceptional and special relationship, and both sides value it very highly.

He said his first bilateral visit was to Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, and it was his second visit within weeks.

Asked a question on the Bangladeshi diaspora, Khalilur said it is an extremely important part of their lives, and these are people who live, work and study abroad.

"So, our message to the diaspora is that we are a part and parcel of the same society. We will contribute to our society's well-being, and this is a government which will do everything to make that happen," he said.