Bangladesh signaled a more assertive foreign-policy posture amid shifting global power dynamics, saying it will no longer accept a passive role in the Bay of Bengal.
Speaking at the Bay of Bengal Initiative Conversation in Dhaka, the Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs in the Interim Government, said the country’s strategy is rooted in sovereignty and national interest as regional competition intensifies.
“Bangladesh insists on its sovereignty and the right to pursue its national interest,” said Hossain. “The Bay of Bengal region is becoming a strategic falcrum and Bangladesh intends to be a confident actor, not a passive corridor only.”
Hossain served as deputy high commissioner in Kolkata from 2001 to 2005 and as foreign secretary of Bangladesh from 2006 to 2009. He later served as high commissioner to South Africa beginning in 2012.