Govt fails to maintain good relations with foreign states

Rather, the government has projected Bangladesh as a country of terrorism and fragile democracy, leading to a decline in the relations with different states, including the neighbouring states, they said at a press conference.

The AL organised the press conference on 'Foreign policy failures of BNP-Jamaat coalition government (2001-2005)' at a city hotel.

"The failure in handling the state affairs has made it difficult for the coalition government to pursue a consistent foreign policy," said Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, chairman of the international affairs sub-committee of the AL, in his keynote speech.

He said Bangladesh has become a friendless country due to the killings of former finance minister Shah ASM Kibria, Ivy Rahman and Ahsanullah Master, grenade attack on opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, torture of journalists and minorities and emergence of religious extremism.

He also said the BNP-Jamaat government broke the harmony of the foreign policy by cancelling the previous AL government's decision to hold NAM summit in Dhaka immediately after its takeover, which was a wrong decision.

Also, the humiliating defeat in the election to the post of OIC secretary general proved that the relations with Muslim countries have declined during the coalition rule, said Faruq Ahmed.

He said the relations between Bangladesh and India has reached the lowest ebb at present due to a great deal of suspicion and mistrust between the two governments and policy planners.

"To resolve the problems, it is necessary to create a meaningful environment," he said. "It was expected that as a member of BIMSTEC, Bangladesh would play a constructive role as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia. But the flawed foreign policy of the coalition government failed to fulfil the hope."

Although the ruling coalition has adopted the 'Look East policy' to get assistance from relatively developed countries and to increase export to relatively less developed countries, the policy could not achieve any success in the last four years of the government, he said.

Also, there is no improvement in Bangladesh-China relations despite a number of highest-level visits, said the AL leader.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, Syed Abul Hossain MP, Syed Shaikhul Arefin, former ambassadors Ziauddin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mostafa Faruk, Mohammad Zamir, Akramul Kader and Mizanur Rahman were present at the press conference.