Bangladesh keen to bridge South, Southeast Asia: Momen

Bangladesh is keen to be the bridge to make South Asia and Southeast Asia more connected as its Indo-Pacific outlook stands on principles of "friendship and malice towards none," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said.

"We are keen to be the bridge that South Asia and Southeast Asia need for greater integration of the two sub-regions and to make the Indo-Pacific region more connected," he said at an international seminar, titled "Bangladesh's Indo-Pacific Outlook: Opportunities and Way Forward" on Saturday.

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, the minister said at the event, jointly organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies at BIISS auditorium.    

Bangladesh is prepared to expand cross-border multimodal connectivity through international partnerships, prioritising economic cooperation and regional security, the minister mentioned.

He noted the Bay of Bengal's wealth in untapped resources and its strategic location in global trade, emphasising Bangladesh's aim for international partnerships and responsible foreign investment to unlock its potential.

"We 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," he said.

Bangladesh announced its Indo-Pacific Outlook in April this year. 

At the inaugural session, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the Indo-Pacific outlook of Bangladesh is not security-centric, rather it focuses on inclusive development of this region.                                           

"Our Indo-Pacific Outlook is an attempt to tell the world that the region is for common prosperity, not just for those who live in it, but also for the whole world," he said.

Experts at the seminar

Speaking at the seminar, Michael Kugelman, director of South Asia Institute, Wilson Center, said, "I like to situate the Indo-Pacific outlook against the backdrop of intensifying great power competition in Bangladesh and in South Asia broadly. Indeed, it is very particularly intense geopolitical momentum for Dhaka and its neighbours."

"I would argue that Bangladesh in the region has become battlegrounds for not one or two but three great power competitions," he added.

MJ Akbar, former minister of State for External Affairs of India said, "We have to go forward and take a common understanding. As we discussed the Indo-Pacific, we seek to protect it. We must remember that our countries are not merely lands below the Himalayan."

"You cannot have a blue economy without blue stability. And if we do not have stability, you will have trouble. Nothing is more infectious than instability," he added. 

Eminent academics and security analysts from Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, and Singapore attended the event.