Failed state turns into stable one, says foreign adviser
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Bangladesh has emerged as a stable state in South Asia in a turnaround from a failed state-like situation following reforms and proactive role in the international arena in last one year, said the Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, reports UNB.
"Our aim was to make Bangladesh a responsible state actor in the international arena through reform initiatives by getting world community involved and interested in Bangladesh," the adviser told a press briefing on the performance of the present caretaker government on foreign-policy front.
Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry were present at the press meet held at state guesthouse Padma, as the government has launched a fortnight-long publicity on the doings of the interim regime in its one year in office.
The adviser likened the Bangladesh of present times to an oasis of stability in an otherwise turbulent world, attracting development partners and foreign investors to this country.
Calling for a national consensus on the foreign policy, he hoped that the next elected government would follow up on the unfinished works of the caretaker government to advance the cause of the nation.
He noted that the caretaker government had been able to make stable and balanced relations with all neighbouring countries, including India, and was trying to resolve outstanding issues through set mechanisms.
"We don't say we have been able to resolve all problems -- many things we could not do during this short period of time," he said, adding it must be seen how far a congenial atmosphere was created and how far an adverse balance of trade could be overcome.
On the longstanding issue of getting duty-and quota-free access to developed countries, the Foreign Affairs Adviser said he was personally writing letters to 435 US Congressmen to ensure bipartisan support to the trade bill pending with the Congress to provide trade facilities for Bangladesh's export items to the US market. Later on, he would also write to 100 Senators.
Iftekhar, however, could not come up with precise answer regarding the volume of foreign investment and the country's foreign trade in last one year as a number foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka said it had declined.
However, the adviser appeared upbeat stating that the country earned $6.5 billion in remittances from the expatriate Bangladeshi workers. He said nearly 600,000 workers had already left with overseas jobs and more were on the way.
He said the government was careful to protect the interest of Bangladeshi workers and signed several protocols with South Korea, Oman and other countries.
The adviser disagreed with news reports that the Malaysian authorities had stopped giving clearance for Bangladeshi workers and said the approval of Bangladeshi workers would continue uninterrupted for next three months.
He said the Labour Minister of Qatar would arrive here on January 5 when the two countries would sign a protocol protecting the rights and privileges of Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf country. Last year, 14,000 workers went to Qatar and the figure would double this year. Presently, 117,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in the Gulf State.
Iftekhar said the government was also pursuing trade negotiations in WTO to protect the interests of Bangladesh.
The country continues to play a key role in UN peacekeeping missions, presently deploying 9,700 troops and policemen and earning substantial foreign exchanges.
Asked if foreign diplomats' comments on various issues are tantamount to interference, the country's former permanent representative to the UN gave a deft diplomatic reply that Bangladesh was a sovereign country and the Bangladeshis themselves would be in the driving seat making their own policies to move forward.
"Our aim was to make Bangladesh a responsible state actor in the international arena through reform initiatives by getting world community involved and interested in Bangladesh," the adviser told a press briefing on the performance of the present caretaker government on foreign-policy front.
Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry were present at the press meet held at state guesthouse Padma, as the government has launched a fortnight-long publicity on the doings of the interim regime in its one year in office.
The adviser likened the Bangladesh of present times to an oasis of stability in an otherwise turbulent world, attracting development partners and foreign investors to this country.
Calling for a national consensus on the foreign policy, he hoped that the next elected government would follow up on the unfinished works of the caretaker government to advance the cause of the nation.
He noted that the caretaker government had been able to make stable and balanced relations with all neighbouring countries, including India, and was trying to resolve outstanding issues through set mechanisms.
"We don't say we have been able to resolve all problems -- many things we could not do during this short period of time," he said, adding it must be seen how far a congenial atmosphere was created and how far an adverse balance of trade could be overcome.
On the longstanding issue of getting duty-and quota-free access to developed countries, the Foreign Affairs Adviser said he was personally writing letters to 435 US Congressmen to ensure bipartisan support to the trade bill pending with the Congress to provide trade facilities for Bangladesh's export items to the US market. Later on, he would also write to 100 Senators.
Iftekhar, however, could not come up with precise answer regarding the volume of foreign investment and the country's foreign trade in last one year as a number foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka said it had declined.
However, the adviser appeared upbeat stating that the country earned $6.5 billion in remittances from the expatriate Bangladeshi workers. He said nearly 600,000 workers had already left with overseas jobs and more were on the way.
He said the government was careful to protect the interest of Bangladeshi workers and signed several protocols with South Korea, Oman and other countries.
The adviser disagreed with news reports that the Malaysian authorities had stopped giving clearance for Bangladeshi workers and said the approval of Bangladeshi workers would continue uninterrupted for next three months.
He said the Labour Minister of Qatar would arrive here on January 5 when the two countries would sign a protocol protecting the rights and privileges of Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf country. Last year, 14,000 workers went to Qatar and the figure would double this year. Presently, 117,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in the Gulf State.
Iftekhar said the government was also pursuing trade negotiations in WTO to protect the interests of Bangladesh.
The country continues to play a key role in UN peacekeeping missions, presently deploying 9,700 troops and policemen and earning substantial foreign exchanges.
Asked if foreign diplomats' comments on various issues are tantamount to interference, the country's former permanent representative to the UN gave a deft diplomatic reply that Bangladesh was a sovereign country and the Bangladeshis themselves would be in the driving seat making their own policies to move forward.