‘A lot can happen within a month’

Dhaka has kept open the possibility of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman travelling to India, either for the BRICS Summit or a bilateral visit, saying such high-level engagement could help ease tensions and create opportunities to resolve outstanding issues between the two neighbours.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Thursday that no decision had yet been finalised on the Prime Minister’s foreign visits, including India and Japan, as the government is currently occupied with several constitutional and political priorities. “BRICS is still far away.

A lot can happen within a month,” she told reporters at the Foreign Ministry after returning from her official visit to Singapore.

The state minister said the government remained positive about all proposed foreign visits, but the final decision would depend on the Prime Minister’s schedule and discussions between Bangladesh and the respective countries.

“Of course, if everything matches, the India visit, Japan visit and all other visits will take place,” she said.

Her remarks came amid speculation that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman could travel to India in September to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where he has been invited as a special guest, while there have also been indications of interest in a bilateral engagement between the two countries.

Asked whether a Prime Ministerial visit to India could help reduce the tensions that have marked Bangladesh-India relations in recent months, Shama said direct engagement between the two governments could provide an opportunity to address bilateral problems.

“Whenever the two countries’ leaders talk and hold bilateral discussions, there is an opportunity to resolve many problems,” she said, urging India to make “honest use” of such an opportunity.

She also underlined the sensitivity surrounding Bangladesh’s political developments, particularly public reaction to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s media presence in India recently.

“We have already said that when a convicted person speaks from Indian soil, the people of Bangladesh do not take it well,” Shama said, referring to Sheikh Hasina.

“The memory of July is still alive among the people, and the bloodstains have not yet dried.”

She said both sides would need to remain sensitive to these concerns, while stressing that a meeting between the two Prime Ministers could nevertheless help address a number of outstanding issues.

“Whenever the two Prime Ministers sit together, many problems can be solved, and that is what we hope for. We also hope India keeps this in mind,” she said.

On Bangladesh’s proposed visit to Japan, Shama said no date had yet been fixed, although both sides had extended invitations at the highest level.

She said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to Japan and Bangladesh had also invited the Japanese Prime Minister to visit Dhaka.

“Certainly, at a suitable time, our Prime Minister will visit Japan, and Bangladesh-Japan relations will become deeper,” she said.

The state minister also highlighted Japan’s role as Bangladesh’s largest development partner, pointing to major ongoing projects including the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the Matarbari development project.

She said the two countries had recently completed foreign office consultations, during which a range of bilateral issues were discussed.

Bangladesh is also working to expand opportunities for sending workers to Japan, she added.

On her two-day official visit to Singapore, Shama said discussions with Singaporean leaders focused on expanding bilateral trade and investment, increasing exports from Bangladesh and creating more opportunities for skilled Bangladeshi workers.

She said around 150,000 to 200,000 Bangladeshis are currently working and doing business in Singapore.

The junior minister held meetings with Singapore’s Labour Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, discussing the welfare of Bangladeshi workers and ways to increase the recruitment of skilled manpower from Bangladesh.

She said the two sides also discussed Bangladesh’s trade deficit with Singapore and explored ways to increase Bangladeshi exports.

Shama said Singapore had also long shown interest in developing the Bay Terminal at Chattogram Port, while she visited a Singaporean waste-to-energy facility to observe its waste management and energy generation technology.

Describing the visit as successful, she said it was the first government-level visit to Singapore since the formation of the new government.

Asked about the government’s diplomatic achievements during its first five to six months, Shama highlighted Bangladesh’s election to the presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

She described it as the Foreign Ministry’s foremost achievement, noting that Bangladesh defeated a country that had been campaigning for the candidacy for a decade.

She said the ministry was also working on regional connectivity, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and sports diplomacy while seeking to implement the government’s foreign policy with Bangladesh’s national interests at its core.

“We are standing straight-backed, protecting our national interests and giving the highest priority to the interests of the country,” she said, adding that the Foreign Ministry would continue working to strengthen Bangladesh’s relations with all countries.