“Our decisions will be guided by national interest, sovereign equality, and mutual respect,” Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain said. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Against the backdrop of continued tension with India because of the continued presence of former PM Sheikh Hasina on Indian soil, the Foreign Affairs Advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh Touhid Hossain said on Saturday (November 22, 2025) that Bangladesh will “insist” on its right to pursue its national interest.
Mr. Hossain said Bangladesh is aware that the fragile global crisis management mechanism has not helped in resolving enduring conflicts like in Myanmar, and said Bangladesh will work towards harnessing the full potential of the Bay of Bengal region.
“Bangladesh insists on its sovereignty and its right to pursue its national interest. In practice, this means that our partnership must deliver tangible benefits, not symbolic only. We will engage with major and middle powers, but our decisions will be guided by national interest, sovereign equality, and mutual respect,” said Mr. Hossain.
Mr. Hossain did not talk about the death sentence that the International Crimes Tribunal gave days earlier to the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but referred to the government of Ms. Hasina, who is currently in India, as an “oppressive regime that restricted civil space”.
The Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government described the Bay of Bengal region as a “strategic fulcrum” and that “Bangladesh intends to be a confident actor and not a passive corridor only.”
Mr. Hossain made specific mentions of the circumstances in neighbouring Myanmar, the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the civil war in Sudan, Africa, where the global system of crisis management did not bring an end to human suffering. “My country knows the cost of fragility. We have opened the doors to hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar, we have contributed to U.N. peace missions, and we know how quickly humanitarian crises can escalate,” said Mr. Hossain.
Referring to the regional situation, Mr. Hossain called for responsive institutions that will sustain connectivity and commerce, but said economic partnerships should not be “predatory” in nature. “We must harness the boundless potential of the Bay of Bengal and turn it into a corridor of growth of peace and prosperity,” said Mr. Hossain.
Published – November 22, 2025 11:22 am IST
