BIG-B talks strictly bilateral

Bangladesh will protect its sovereignty and national interests while pursuing economic cooperation with Japan, with no discussion held on involving any third country in the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Tokyo, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir has said.

He said discussions between the two countries remained strictly bilateral, with neither the negotiations nor the joint statement referring to the participation of any third country or an arrangement involving other nations in the Bay of Bengal.

Kobir made the clarification on Friday in response to concerns raised by Jamaat-e-Islami over the possible implications of the Matarbari project and BIG-B for Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

Rejecting the criticism, he said political parties should exercise responsibility in their public statements.

“Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh is a political party. There should be responsible behaviour and responsible communication from them,” he said.

“First, I would say, read the joint communiqué. You will understand if you read it that there is nothing of this sort.

If you do not see, understand or read it but start claiming that the country has been sold or that steps are being taken to sell the country, then such arguments become ridiculous,” he added.

Kobir said the two countries had deliberately restricted their discussions to bilateral relations.

“In the joint statement, you will see that there is no reference to any third country. We will not discuss a third country in our discussions. That is clear and direct,” he said.

“There is no reference to the Bay of Bengal either. We realise that we have a responsibility as a country. If we have to discuss such matters, we must do so in the respective forums.

No such discussion took place, and there was no conversation on these issues,” he added.
He assured that the government’s decisions would be transparent and accountable, with sensitive matters to be discussed in parliament.

“Whatever this government does will be transparent and accountable. If there is anything sensitive, it will be discussed in parliament.

There is no scope for doing anything behind the scenes, as happened in the past,” he said, adding that the government, elected with a two-thirds majority, had no reason to act against the people’s interests.

During the October 27 summit between Tarique Rahman and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, the two countries agreed to upgrade the existing BIG-B concept into a strategic cooperation initiative titled ‘BIG-B for Shared Prosperity’.

The joint statement outlined four pillars of cooperation: strengthening connectivity; preparing for natural disasters and geopolitical risks; expanding public-private partnerships to create economic opportunities and develop rules; and promoting cooperation for peace and stability.

However, it made no reference to involving Nepal, Bhutan or any other third country.

Asked whether Bangladesh’s geographical position between South and East Asia could make it central to Japan’s maritime connectivity plans, Kobir said the two sides had avoided discussing regional sea routes.

“We did not want to discuss the Bay of Bengal route or sea routes. Apart from specific bilateral issues, we did not discuss these matters.

If we have to discuss them, we need other states, because the Bay of Bengal does not belong to Bangladesh alone,” he said.

On investment proposals discussed during the visit, Kobir said a Japanese economic mission would visit Bangladesh soon to advance the proposed projects.

Japan agreed to send the mission at the earliest opportunity during a joint ministerial meeting.

“We have asked them to send it quickly, and they have agreed to send the mission soon,” he said.

Addressing concerns over the rising cost of Japanese financing, he acknowledged that interest rates on Japanese loans had increased to around three per cent, potentially making alternative international financing options more attractive.

Bangladesh would assess proposals based on affordability, employment generation and national economic interests, he added.

Describing the changing relationship between Dhaka and Tokyo, Kobir said it was moving beyond the traditional donor-recipient model towards a partnership based on investment and business.

“Bangladesh was dependent on concessional money 15 or 20 years ago. We are now moving beyond that dependency towards investment and business.

It is a respectful economic partnership where neither side is a subordinate partner,” he said.

On the possibility of importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Japan to address Bangladesh’s energy crisis, Kobir said the prime minister’s visit to a Japanese LNG terminal was intended primarily to learn about its technology and infrastructure.

Tarique visited JERA’s LNG terminal and power facility in Futtsu during the trip.

“He visited the LNG terminal to see how it works. It is a state-of-the-art terminal. We wanted to gain an understanding of how we could establish an LNG terminal in Bangladesh,” Kobir said.

He announced no agreement on LNG imports or any specific supply arrangement with Japan.

On the Rohingya crisis, the state minister said Bangladesh had urged Japan to play a more active diplomatic role in securing a lasting solution.

Dhaka wanted Tokyo to use its influence to encourage Myanmar to create conditions for the safe and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

“We have called upon Japan to play a role in this matter. Both countries believe in regional stability and can contribute to it,” he said, describing the refugee situation as a major national security and policy concern.

The four-day visit, from October 26 to 29, resulted in six cooperation instruments, commitments to two loan projects and 17 private-sector memorandums of understanding (MoUs), according to Kobir’s earlier briefing in Tokyo.

The agreements covered investment environment improvement, agriculture, fisheries, skills development, climate change and maritime security.

Taking a swipe at the previous administration, Kobir said Bangladesh had moved away from a period of political subservience.

“We have seen in the last 15 years, the past government has been acting as a slave, meaning it was a dictatorship, it was corrupt and it was a total slave government. Bangladesh has come out of this slavery,” he said.