Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Diplomacy
Dr. Srimal Fernando :
The Bay of Bengal the northeastern portion of the Indian Ocean is emerging as the ‘centre stage’ of the 21st century, while it also continues to be the platform in the pursuit of global strategic and regional powers. The Bay of Bengal is the world’s largest bay; strategically located connecting the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and acts as a link to the Strait of Malacca. The relationship that Bangladesh has with Sri Lanka needs to be looked at from the framework of the new geopolitical and geo-economic transformation that is unfolding in the regional and global system. The main feature in the foreign policies of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are synchronising policies with the multipolar system and balancing foreign policy manifestation with outreach to different regions and regional groupings given the increased convergence of strategic interests of their neighbours. Without trade no country has been able to sufficiently develop its economy. Sri Lanka’s strategic positioning in the Indian Ocean holds massive importance for Bangladesh thus providing numerous reasons for the Bay of Bengal nation to pursue improved bilateral ties. Considering the continuing focus on the Indian Ocean region, the relationship and the formulation of a Bangladesh foreign policy with Sri Lanka has gone through a metamorphic change. Under these unique circumstances, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are located in geostrategic positions in the Indian Ocean with a bearing on their economic futures.
The diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have grown from strength to strength over this period built on the pillars of political, economic, cultural, educational and defense cooperation. Like all other South Asian nations, there are many opinions about the Bangladeshi foreign policy strategy among the eight SAARC nations, Bangladesh is important for Sri Lanka as a bilateral partner while placing high emphasis on positive bilateral engagements. Over the years, the bilateral economic relationship between the two nations has expanded from being a mere trading partnership to one that also includes free flow of investments. Most of Sri Lanka’s investment in Bangladesh is in the apparel sector while the largest Bangladeshi investment in Sri Lanka is in pharmaceuticals. The country’s main endowments include its vast human resource base, rich agricultural land and its relatively abundant water. Historically, Bangladesh has earned its reputation by being at the crossroads of many cultures. The ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the ports of Colombo and Hambantota in Sri Lanka are located nearly 1515 nautical miles from each other. Robust connectivity and linkages between these ports would facilitate shipping, tourism and investments between the two countries.
Shaping a Regional Architecture
The South Asian nations such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are increasingly becoming connected and interdependent in the midst of the emerging trends in regionalisation. Accordingly, the emergence of regional cooperation organisations such as the SAARC and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) can be considered to be one of the crucial developments in regional politics. A close assessment of the goals of SAARC and sub-regional organisations such as BIMSTEC shows that they are wide-ranging and cover an extensive field in the spheres of cooperation. The very first South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 1985 with the attendance of the seven Government Heads from its member States. The SAARC charter was signed during this meeting. The sub-regional cooperation initiative, BIMSTEC was established on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. Sri Lanka is a founding member of BIMSTEC. As of 2016, Colombo’s trade with BIMSTEC members accounted for only 17.4 per cent of the nation’s total trade in goods.
Continuation of Bilateral Diplomacy
Overall, it is important that measures are taken to guarantee the free flow of ideas and information on trade benefits and ease of doing business between the two South Asian neighbouring nations.
The combined economic vision plan for these two nations will continue to be a new impetus with notable characteristics. Through economic diplomacy they could aim to act as the building blocks towards facilitating regional socio economic upliftment.
(Dr. Fernando is a specialist in International Relations and an adviser on New Regional Diplomacy. He is the author of ‘Politics, Economics and Connectivity: In Search of the South Asian Union’).
