One of the key components of Bangladesh's continued success as a sovereign nation is the fact that we are not shy of forming and maintaining healthy bilateral relations with other nations, regionally or otherwise.
To that end, the government's recent commitment towards strengthening ties with Mexico is yet another sign of just how well and alive Bangladesh's mantra of “friendship towards all, malice towards none” still is, as the enduring bond between the two nations has been built on mutual respect, trust, and shared values.
One of the more obvious areas of focus is of course increased trade. Since opening its diplomatic mission more than a decade ago, Mexico has been a rising export destination for our country with RMG comprising around 90% of the volume.
Given that the diversification of our export basket is one of the most important goals that we should be taking up, Mexico would make a strong first partner in going beyond Bangladesh's established reputation as a tailor to the world.
Building lasting relationships with other nations, be they neighbouring countries or otherwise, needs to be a strategy that Bangladesh continues to employ, especially over the coming decade as our nation not only charts a path out of the global economic morass and heads towards fulfilling its middle income aspirations.
Last year witnessed both Bangladesh and Mexico signing a memorandum of understanding to facilitate joint efforts undertaken by both countries and to create new opportunities for probationer diplomats of Bangladesh to learn the Spanish language in Mexico.
This is exactly the kind of pro-active initiatives that we should be expecting from our diplomatic wing.
A strong stable of foreign partners will be key for Bangladesh in not only achieving its economic ambitions, but to also move beyond them in the future.
