Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday said Bangladesh is keen to embrace the opportunities that enhance economic cooperation, connectivity, and ensure holistic security in its region.
He said combating climate change, sustainable use of the seas and ocean, de-carbonization and clean energy, expansion of trade and investment, supply chain resilience, investing in and connecting people and building a sustainable and green future feature commonly in the visions for Indo-Pacific of most countries.
“Let us pivot our commonalities to secure a better future for our region,” said the Foreign Minister, adding that they see convergence of views among partners for the development of the Indo-Pacific region.
Momen was speaking as the chief guest at the closing session of an international seminar on “Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook: Opportunities and Way Forward.”
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies jointly organized the seminar.
The Indo-Pacific region is of great strategic importance to Bangladesh and the world at large.
It is home to some of the busiest sea lanes, important trade routes, and a diverse range of cultures and societies.
The region is also facing a plethora of complex and shared challenges, from economic development and environmental protection to security, Momen said.
Bangladesh enjoys strong economic, cultural, and diplomatic ties with countries of the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
“Being a littoral State of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh considers the stability in and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific crucial in realizing her ‘Vision 2041’ of becoming a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ that is characterized by prosperity, social responsiveness, technological dynamism and long-term resilience,” Momen said.
He said they believe that mutual understanding, cooperation and collaboration among the Indo-Pacific countries are essential for stability, peace, and prosperity of the region, in particular, and the world at large.
“We are committed to working with our regional partners to pursue regional and sub-regional integration through connectivity, and jointly address shared challenges such as climate change and maritime security,” said the Foreign Minister.
Bangladesh’s growing multimodal connectivity with India through highways, inland and coastal waterways, railways and airways, restoration of severed connectivity after the 1965 India-Pakistan war, energy connectivity through projects like India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline for transporting diesel, cross-border power grid connectivity, digital connectivity, and subregional extension of such connectivity with other neighbours through arrangements like BIN MVA (Bangladesh India Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement) are demonstration of Bangladesh’s commitment towards regional integration.
“Now Bangladesh has become a connectivity Hub as we believe, connectivity is productivity,” Momen said.
Being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world with inclusive socio-economic progress, rapid reduction of poverty, women empowerment and transformational power-energy-connectivity-digital infrastructure, Bangladesh has become a poster child of development, he said.
“With rapid economic expansion coupled with geostrategic location, Bangladesh is bound to attract higher attention of the international community, which has been the case in recent times,” he said, adding that “Mindful of our enhanced roles and responsibility in the region, we have been pursuing inclusive engagements with all countries of the region.”
The protracted Rohingya crisis, that has its origin in Myanmar but continues to weigh heavily on Bangladesh, has the potential to destabilize the whole region unless the international community intensifies their efforts to eventuate the sustainable repatriation of the 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland Myanmar, Momen said.
Fast and sustainable settlement of the crisis is a centerpiece to promote peace, security and stability in the region, said the Foreign Minister.
Bangladesh’s partnership with Japan on the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt or BIG-B initiative in southeastern Bangladesh is creating a connectivity hub for the region, Momen said.
“We are keen to be the bridge that South Asia and Southeast Asia needs for greater integration of the two sub-regions and to make the Indo-Pacific region more connected,” he said, adding that they are ready to scale up cross-border multimodal connectivity and seek more international partnership to advance such ambition.
