Dhaka pursued Bangladesh centric foreign policy past one year: Adviser Touhid

Bangladesh pursued a balanced and pragmatic foreign policy over the past year, prioritising national interest and reciprocity, maintaining constructive engagement with all major global and regional players, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has said.

"As a whole, we believe that over the past year, we have tried to establish a balanced relationship with all countries, keeping Bangladesh's interests at the forefront . . . how successful we have been will be judged by the people, by civil society," the adviser told BSS in an exclusive interview recently.

The "balanced diplomacy", he said, had been central to Bangladesh's foreign policy success over the year and continued to guide the interim government's international strategy.

Hossain said the incumbent administration took a "Bangladesh-centric" approach, grounded in enlightened self-interest and added, "If we give something to India, I will expect that we will be able to get from India what we need, either in equal measure or even more".

"This (approach) applies not only to India but to all countries," he added.

Prof Yunus image in diplomacy

The adviser said Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus's international acceptability appeared as "one of the assets of this government" while his reputation often opened doors and influenced outcomes that might otherwise be difficult to achieve through conventional diplomatic channels.

He recalled that one phone call by Dr Yunus had helped secure the pardon of many Bangladeshis in UAE prisons.

"It happened because Dr Yunus requested it … I consider this a significant asset for us, and we are using that," Hossain said.

He noted that Professor Yunus's legacy as a Nobel Laureate and his lifelong work in poverty alleviation and social business continued to resonate globally, giving Bangladesh a unique diplomatic advantage.

"The respect he commands is not limited to political circles; it extends across governments, civil society, business leaders, and multilateral platforms," Hossain said, adding that Bangladesh was using such "soft power" strategically in its foreign policy pursuits.

Relations with India

Hossain said that while the previous ousted Awami League regime had close ties with New Delhi, the current interim government is also pursuing to maintain a strong working relationship with India, though certain irritants remain.

"We have tried to create a certain kind of balance. . . we are trying, and we believe we will be able to build a balanced relationship based on good working relations, reciprocity, and mutual respect," he said.

The adviser said that despite recent challenges in bilateral relations like trade bottlenecks and unresolved land port issues, trade between Bangladesh and India remained ongoing.

Hossain, however, noted a noticeable decline in two specific trends -- cross-border shopping trips and travel to India for tourism and medical purposes.

He said, "I don't consider this a setback for Bangladesh," as the fall in consumer travel had little impact on the economy.

As far as medical tourism is concerned, the adviser, previously the people used to travel to India for treatment, while many of them now prefer alternative destinations like China and Thailand, particularly for specialised services which were yet to be available in Bangladesh.

"In the past, many went to India even for minor treatments, which was unnecessary," he said.

Hossain added that with reduced travel to India, specialised hospitals in Bangladesh witnessed a rise in patient occupancy, a scenario which he described as a positive development for the country's healthcare sector.

Stronger protest to border killing, push-in

The adviser said Bangladesh, in recent months, made its voice louder against the killings of its nationals on borders with India by their Border Security Force (BSF), issuing clear and unequivocal condemnations of such incidents.

He said over the past year, the protest notes sent to New Delhi over the killings were stronger than those of the previous regime, reflecting Dhaka's firmer diplomatic stance.

Hossain said the government also urged India to prevent the recurrence of such "heinous acts," and called for thorough investigations into all related incidents and demanded that perpetrators be identified and exposed to justice through appropriate legal measures.

"Nowhere in the world are people shot dead at borders using lethal weapons. India comes up with various excuses at different times, but none of them are acceptable. We have repeatedly told India that this is unacceptable," he said.

The adviser added that Bangladesh would continue to protest the border killings strongly.

Hossain said irregular "push-ins" across the border involving not just Bangladeshis but also Indian Bengali-speaking citizens raised concerns in Dhaka and "even the Chief Minister of West Bengal (of India) has expressed her disappointment over the issue.

"This proves that the method is not correct," he said.

Hossain said Dhaka by now told India that "there is a mechanism in place" for the returning people and "we have been returning individuals following that mechanism".

"It's not like we are not doing our part, we are. But this kind of irregular push-in is not appropriate, and we want it to stop. We are also protesting this," said the adviser.

Normalising relations with Pakistan

Hossain said Dhaka made efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan in the past year.

These efforts, he said, included increased diplomatic communication, economic cooperation, and even the removal of visa requirements for Pakistani citizens.

Hossain, however, dismissed speculations that Bangladesh was shifting its foreign policy stance in favour of Pakistan, asserting that the government's recent engagements with Islamabad were aimed at normalising diplomatic ties in a way that could safeguard Bangladesh's national interest.

"Some say we are tilting towards Pakistan. . . but we are certainly not tilting; what we are doing is trying to establish a normal relationship with Pakistan that will protect our interests," he said.

According to the adviser, such diplomatic efforts were part of broader efforts to maintain balanced foreign relations.

He explained that relations with Pakistan had been kept "intentionally on the back burner" during the last regime, which was "unnecessary".

Relations with China

The foreign adviser said the bilateral partnership with Beijing remained stable and consistent during the eras of successive governments since the formal establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975.

"Many governments were changed in Bangladesh, but our relationship with China has never deteriorated," he said, highlighting the deep-rooted nature of the bilateral engagement between Dhaka and Beijing.

The adviser dismissed concerns raised in some quarters about Bangladesh growing "too close" to China, stating that Dhaka's engagement with Beijing was anchored in its national interest.

"Our relationship with China is in our own interests. . . and certainly, China also has its interests," he said, adding that the cooperation between the two countries was not one-sided, but rather based on mutual benefits and shared priorities.

"We are taking an even-handed approach," he said, indicating that Bangladesh's engagement with China did not come at the expense of relations with any other country.

The US factor

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 maintaining a balanced and non-aligned foreign policy.

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 USA as well," he said.

Hossain 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.

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 one 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

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 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 has 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 said the public administration ministry recently gave its nod to open six more embassies and consulates, reflecting the interim government's commitment to strengthening bilateral engagements and ensuring consular services for Bangladeshi nationals abroad.

The adviser said Dhaka, however, attached immediate priorities to open a consulate in 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)," 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.