FM claims success in foiling smear campaign

Bangladesh would continue to pursue a foreign policy that ensures national security and at the same time strengthens ties with its close neighbours, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan said yesterday.

"We want to ensure national security within a stable regional context to project the image of Bangladesh as a responsible, peace-loving country and to counter efforts underway to depict Bangladesh as a fundamentalist country," he told a press conference at state guesthouse Padma in the city.

In the past one year, Morshed said, his government had largely been able to project Bangladesh's tolerant, democratic and moderate image abroad despite "concerted attempts to malign the country".

"We strongly countered attempts to project Bangladesh as a sanctuary for fundamentalist militant outfits and a country lacking religious harmony. And, our efforts have so far been successful," he said.

Explaining six objectives of his government's foreign policy, Morshed said Bangladesh would continue efforts to strengthen friendship with immediate neighbours, establish new linkages and open avenues with friends in the East and South-East and fully realise the potential of its ties with the United States and Europe.

Bangladesh, he said, set out to achieve the new foreign policy goals in a difficult situation as the country was assailed by a series of factors, both indigenous and regional, together with global political and economic uncertainties resulting from the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"We would work with a well defined focus to advance the economic interest of Bangladesh through vigorous economic diplomacy and make a strong contribution to the regional cooperation," the foreign minister said as he highlighted the goals.

He dismissed the notion that the government's recent focus on the East suggests a shift in its foreign policy. "It's not a policy shift. We have not shifted our focus, rather we're trying to encompass larger area of economic benefit."

Referring to Bangladesh's recent official talks with some Eastern countries, he said his ministry had created the platform for the line ministries and the private entrepreneurs to reap the economic benefits.

The foreign minister refused to accept that Dhaka had strained relations with New Delhi last year. However, he admitted that the Dhaka-New Delhi relations had some irritants "apparently because of domestic compulsions of India".

He said Bangladesh is committed to improving relations with her next-door neighbours India and Myanmar, as well as other countries in the region.

As regards relations with India, he said Dhaka would remain fully engaged with constructive dialogue with New Delhi. "We've already identified the problems with India affecting the ties between the two neighbours," Morshed said and was optimistic about removing all irritants in the bilateral relations.

"Bangladesh is keen to develop her relations with India in the new year on certain concrete basis -- mutual trust, due recognition of legitimate concerns of Bangladesh and common challenges that the two countries must face together for poverty alleviation and promoting the prospect of regional stability".

Morshed commented that ups and downs in the relations between two neighbours are nothing unusual. But, he added, those could be settled through constant dialogue.

In a lighter vein, the foreign minister said the Bangladesh-India relations have a touch of 'romanticism'. " Sometimes there is sunshine, sometimes rains," he said.

The foreign minister once again said as the next-door neighbours, both Bangladesh and India must work together for economic benefits of the two peoples.

He said Dhaka expects Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit Bangladesh this year. "Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was last to pay an official visit to India and we expect the Indian premier to visit Bangladesh. Such visits are very important for knowing each other better."

To a question he said, "We want hotline to be set up between Dhaka and New Delhi so that the two leaders can talk to each other."

On a yawning trade gape with India, he said Bangladesh's annual exports to India amount to around 16 million US dollars while Indian exports to Bangladesh stand at 1.6 billion dollars officially. But unofficial trade is double the official figure, he noted, apparently speaking in euphemistic terms about smuggling, under-invoice and other sorts of duty evasion.

Earlier, he highlighted major developments in the country's diplomatic arena in the last one year.

He also detailed how the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia improved Bangladesh's relations with the member-states of SAARC, ASEAN, OIC, Europe and America through interactions and state-level visits during the same period.