The world is becoming increasingly divided because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The violence has had a worldwide impact and Bangladesh is no exception. Against this context, speakers at a roundtable discussion arranged by the Dhaka Tribune with assistance from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka, said the government should follow prudent policies that would safeguard the wellbeing of Bangladesh's 170 million citizens as well as the country's economic interests.
At the same time, they said that Bangladesh should take a stand against aggression based on principles, values, and the United Nations Charter.
At the event held on November 20 titled "Ukraine Crisis: The Foreign Policy Question for Bangladesh", the panelists added that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could use her global influence to urge the Russians to end the conflict.
Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad moderated the roundtable discussion, which was attended by diplomats, academia, journalists, and students.
Former foreign secretary Md Touhid Hossain, Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Kazi Nabil Ahmed and Dhaka University International Relations Department Professor Lailufar Yasmin spoke as panelists.
Former foreign secretary Md Touhid Hossain said:
“When it comes to the issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty, our support should be unequivocal. Bangladesh should take a stern position against any aggression and forcible change of map.”
“A strong country is changing the map of a weaker neighbor by force, and this is an issue for Bangladesh. When the issue is such, I think the interest of Bangladesh should be to ensure that this does not happen. We are on very friendly terms with India and China, but that doesn't mean anything … things could change, the situation could have become different, and in such a situation our position on principle should have been the main thing.”
“When the issue of territorial integrity comes, we should take strong stance against it.”
Md Touhid Hossain Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Kazi Nabil Ahmed said:
“Bangladesh's future lies in a rules-based system and multilateral engagement. We need a peaceful world to prosper as a country. Bangladesh is not a small country … For the huge population we have, economic security is one of our top issues and it is being threatened due to higher energy and commodity prices.
“Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been trying to act consistently to make sure that Bangladesh's interests are safeguarded. We don't live in isolation. We are all socio-economic beings.”
“The question for Bangladesh is how to make sure that it can protect its own economic well-being and continue to procure the energy and food grains it needs.
“The main question right now is how to make sure that the crisis does not get worse and everyone can safeguard their economic well-being.”
“I do think the pandemic is responsible for this crisis as well. The two years' lack of communication among the transnational bodies has led to a lot of misunderstandings. I would just like to say that 2023 is the year that we need to look forward somehow to bring this conflict to an end.”
Kazi Nabil Ahmed Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneDhaka University International Relations Department Professor Lailufar Yasmin said:
“Bangladesh has a unique geopolitical value and it is increasingly emerging as an agenda setter. Often, Bangladesh is seen as an undervalued country. Bangladesh is not voiceless, but Bangladesh's voices are often not being heard.”
“Bangladesh is part of a number of mini-multilateralism activities. We live in an interdependent world and whatever will happen around the world will directly affect us. We have to learn to cooperate with a number of South Asian countries.”
“There is a need to diversify Bangladesh's options so that the country is not compelled to take a side in any crisis. This foreign policy principle has helped Bangladesh and it will help Bangladesh, provided that we take calculated steps in future.”
Professor Lailufar Yasmin Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneDhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad said:
“There were at least five UN General Assembly resolutions on this issue. Bangladesh abstained from voting three times and voted twice in favour of Ukraine. Someone may argue, of course that it was not necessarily in favour of Ukraine but in favour of the people of Ukraine. This is a matter of interpretation.”
Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad Mahmud Hasan Opu/Dhaka TribuneNorwegian Ambassador Espen Rikter-Svendsen said:
“The threat of Covid has diminished. The global structure we took for granted has been disrupted and the whole global trading system is in disarray. The core global values anchored in the UN Charter have been blatantly breached and the war serves absolutely no meaningful purpose.”
“The war itself is not today's subject of discussion rather the fallout of the war and the new political landscape that we are here to discuss: What is the position of Bangladesh in this new political landscape and how to navigate the waters in these turbulent times.”
Espen Rikter Svendsen Norwegian Ambassador To Bangladesh Mahmud Hossain Opu/DhakaFormer foreign secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said:
“Bangladesh has always taken a position against aggression. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu had laid down in his speech at the UN general assembly in September 1974 that the world is divided into two groups -- the oppressed and the oppressor, and we will stand by the side of the oppressed. And it is this that has led us to our sustained, continuous and strong support for the Palestinian cause and against the apartheid regime in South Africa.”
“In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, Bangladesh supported the global move to liberate the country and even sent troops there. It was based on values and these values should not change.”
“The Ukraine war has taken the global focus away from the Rohingya issue, and that is perhaps our biggest loss.”
Shamsher M Chowdhury Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneBritish High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson said:
“I recognize that when other people in the region may have different views, it is not always easy to take this position. We very much welcome the two votes in favour at the UN General Assembly.”
“Our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was in Kyiv over the weekend and he made clear that we absolutely unconditionally support Ukraine. We will continue to do that with military equipment. But he also made clear that any end to the conflict has to be on Ukrainian terms. I think this is an unusually good opportunity for Sheikh Hasina, who I think has a very strong voice representing the oppressed parts of the world. She's done it on climate, she's done it on all sorts of other issues, including women's rights.”
“The whole world wants to see an early end to the conflict and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina can use her global influence to highlight to the Russians the urgent need for them to end this catastrophic war that they have started.”
Robert Chatterton Dickson Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneMember of parliament Nahim Razzaq said:
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a roadmap of de-escalation, restraints, dialogue, peaceful resolution, and sovereignty and integrity in the Ukraine-Russia conflict resolution. We have voted in favour of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“The way forward to the de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine is restraint and dialogue. We all are affected. The UK has officially gone into recession, the US is nearly on the verge of recession. The global economy has been disrupted. Bangladesh wants peace through negotiation, but the bigger powers such as Europe and America need to take the lead to create a proper environment.”
Nahim Razzaq Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneBNP central committee member Tabith Awal said:
“It is baffling strategically: the Russian government is voting for Myanmar regarding the Rohingya issue at the UN. How can Bangladesh strategically support the Russian government, while Bangladesh's interests are not protected, not advocated for?
“We should take an issue-based position in foreign policy instead of a country-wise approach. We suggest emphasizing bilateral and multilateral relationships to negotiate energy and grain imports.”
Tabith Awal Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneAssociate Professor of South Asian Studies, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Sudeep Chakravarti, said:
“There is a commonality of interest among India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. I'm not mentioning Myanmar here for diplomatic reasons. We hear a lot of chatter from the recent G20 and how India is dealing with G20 and so on. Is there going to be sort of a coalescing of this chatter to deal with Russia-Ukraine?”
Professor Sudeep Chakravarti Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneSpanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Francisco de Asis Benitez Salas said:
“I have heard extremely interesting points of view, extremely interesting comments on different aspects of approaches to the situation, to this war that has turned everything upside down.”
Spanish Ambassador To Bangladesh Francisco De As S Ben Tez Salas Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneDr Mohammed Nuruzzaman, professor of North South University, said:
“It is very unrealistic thinking that everyone will be friends in the world. It can't happen. For example -- we do not have friendship with Taiwan because of Chinese pressure, we are not maintaining good relations even with another Muslim country in Iran, although we have huge interests there. So we cannot really pass through this particular policy.”
“Foreign policy is nothing but largely the manifestation of domestic power, domestic strength, in some cases the economic strength. As we are now facing a very complex situation due to the Ukraine war, we should fix a national strategy on how we can solve the crisis.”
Dr Mohammed Nurujjaman Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneUmran Chowdhury, lawyer and columnist at Dhaka Tribune said:
“If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it'd be the end of Ukraine. But if Russia chose to stop fighting and left Ukraine, it would be the end of the war. That's the simplest way to put it.”
Umran Chowdhury Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneEconomist and Dhaka Tribune columnist Forrest Crookson said:
“The Ottomans did not survive. The world broke into little countries. And the United Nations is a manifestation of the idea that you should not attack another country. This is really a very recent idea. I think the Russians have told us it's finished. The United Nations, the cooperation that we have seen amongst nations: it's beginning to fall apart.”
Forrest Crookson Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneNorth South University Professor Sk. Tawfique M Haque said:
“We did fantastically well during Covid, but those rosy pictures are taken down. Bangladesh is now facing an economic crisis, like many other countries in the world and also in the region. We are running short of bank reserves; the commodity prices are going up. The Prime Minister is talking about famine. Meanwhile, Bangladesh is going ahead with electoral crisis in the next year. These two crises are impacting our foreign policy that we need to consider. Without considering these two things we will not understand why Bangladesh is taking a position and why Bangladesh is not taking a position.”
Professor Sk. Tawfique M Haque Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune