State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Saturday said Bangladesh wants to pursue its foreign policy independently while remaining open to cooperation with the international community.
“We don't want to be a chessboard for other players to play. We want to play on our own terms. We are ready to negotiate, collaborate and partner with the rest of the world with our head held high,” she said.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled “A World Rewritten: Power, Technology and Trust in the Age of Uncertainty” as part of the 3-day Bay of Bengal Conversation, the state minister said Bangladesh is now in a position where it is holding its head high.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman spoke as the chief guest at the inaugural session.
Former President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadić, Distinguished Professor at Illinois State University, USA, Ali Riaz, Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangladesh Alexander Falck-Bilden, Member of Parliament of Montenegro Gordan Stojović, and Editor-at-Large of TIME Magazine, Singapore, Charles Thomas Campbell took part in the first panel discussion.
“But of course, remembering that the most important thing in our foreign policy is the interest of our people,” Shama said.
Seeking broader international cooperation to resolve the Rohingya crisis, she said Bangladesh wants to cooperate with countries across South Asia, Asia and beyond as part of its economic diplomacy.
“As far as economic diplomacy goes, we believe in collaborating and working with all the nations in South Asia, Asia, and elsewhere. We want to collaborate with everyone. We want Bangladesh to become a hub because we have the demographic dividend,” she said.
“We have the people, and when we talk about power, I believe our people is our power,” Shama said.
The state minister said Bangladesh is seeking broader international cooperation to resolve the Rohingya crisis, stressing that the country cannot sustain the burden of hosting the refugees indefinitely.
“We don't know the exact number anymore, because it's 1.3 million plus Rohingya refugees, and the number is increasing every day because 30,000 children are being born every year, more or less. And every day there is influx going on,” she said.
Shama said Bangladesh is facing the challenge of a growing young Rohingya population in Cox's Bazar, with inadequate access to education, healthcare, food and security.
She also highlighted the security challenges Bangladesh faces due to the situation in Myanmar and developments along the border.
Shama described the situation inside Myanmar as complicated, saying that resolving the crisis requires engagement with multiple stakeholders - Arakan Army, Myanmar government, and the other entities.
She said Bangladesh is pursuing discussions with its neighbours and other countries to find a solution to the crisis.
Energy, economic diplomacy
Speaking about Bangladesh's broader foreign policy and economic priorities, Shama said Bangladesh, with a population of around 170 million, has significant potential as a trade, energy and investment hub between South and Southeast Asia.
“Basically, you know, Bangladesh is a nation of 170,000,000 people, and we see it where South Asia meets Southeast Asia on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, with unlimited potential of trade, energy, and investment,” she said.
Shama said Bangladesh faced challenges following the war situation in the Gulf, particularly in terms of energy security and the large Bangladeshi diaspora living and working in Gulf countries.
“So it reminds me that during that time, we have lost 14 of Bangladeshis who have been working in different countries in the Gulf,” she said.
Shama said the government is focusing on economic diplomacy and diversification of energy sources.
AI for peace and development
Responding to a question on artificial intelligence, Shama said Bangladesh wants technology to contribute to peace, security and stability rather than conflict.
“We want to live in a world where AI stops wars, not initiates. We want to live in a world where technology actually facilitates peace and security and stability, but does not start wars,” she said.
The state minister also said Bangladesh wants to use AI in ways that benefit different sections of society.
“We are living in the age of technology and AI, but we want to use AI in the social context of Bangladesh, where our farmers, our women entrepreneurs, our businessmen, our agriculture, our every sector of our population gets advantage of artificial intelligence, which is possible,” she said. “So that is what we are striving for,” she added.
AI, technology
On artificial intelligence and technology, Shama said the government is pursuing an economy based on technology and innovation, with emphasis on startups and new technologies.
“Regarding AI and technology, Bangladesh government at the present is thriving for an economy that is technology based, innovation based, and even in the new budget, in this fiscal year, our government clearly gave enough emphasis on startups and new technology and artificial intelligence-based economy,” she said.
The state minister said Bangladesh also needs to remain aware of the vulnerabilities associated with the growing use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
“As we embrace artificial intelligence, as we increase training in AI in Bangladesh's social context, we have to be also aware of the vulnerabilities that it creates across the board….in the cyber world, in digital world,” she said.
Shama said AI and technology are also contributing to misinformation, disinformation and digital harassment.
“Because of AI, we have misinformation, disinformation. We are seeing digital harassment against women and children, and that is created by the technology,” she said.
She called for global cooperation to address such challenges.
“It has now become a global issue. As we embrace technology, as we embrace innovation, to strengthen our economy, we also come forward and try to unite the world to combat, how we can actually address the issue of digital harassment in the cybersecurity because it's not a country-specific problem,” Shama said.