Bangladesh wants to be part of BRICS to diversify relations: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Bangladesh wants to be a part of the BRICS coalition, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

She said that a discussion in this regard was held with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Geneva (South Africa currently holds the BRICS presidency) last week.

"We were with BRICS from the time of its formation. Now we officially want to be its member as our plan is to have diverse options when it comes to development and bilateral relations. We don't want to depend on just one or two options for the overall growth of our country."   

The prime minister made the remark while addressing the press about the outcome of her recent visits to Switzerland and Qatar on Wednesday (21 June).

During the meeting, Cyril Ramaphosa said there is a possibility of taking a decision on increasing the number of members of the alliance at the BRICS summit to be held in Johannesburg next August. He also lauded Bangladesh's socioeconomic and labour sector achievements and congratulated Bangladesh on becoming a member of the New Development Bank.

Sheikh Hasina, at the time, requested him to set up South Africa's Embassy in Dhaka.

Emphasising the need for trade in local currencies to reduce dependency on dollar, the PM said Bangladesh is open to alternative currencies and financial institutions.

"We are already working to introduce trade transactions in local currencies to ease pressure on dollar holdings," she said adding that details on this will be revealed once everything is finalised.

"We will join anything that benefits us. We are bound to do everything that is favourable for our people. The time has gone when there was no option but to lean on one party or take a side," she added.

The premier stressed the importance of establishing a foreign policy based on peace and said her government is working to establish bilateral ties with both the East and the West.

"When the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said Bangladesh will be the Switzerland of the East, he meant a country connected with all and known for its neutrality and advocacy in global peacekeeping. Therefore, our foreign policy dictum has been inspired and curated in line with his famous stance "Friendship to all, malice towards none." 

During her address to the plenary session of the 'World of Work Summit 2023' at the UN Office in Geneva, she said, "I reiterated our government's firm commitment to creating a safe work environment, eliminating child labour, ending harassment of women at workplaces, promoting environment-friendly industries, etc. I specifically mentioned that a major industrialised country in the world ratified only two ILO fundamental instruments but Bangladesh has ratified eight out of 10 fundamental instruments.

"I also presented five-point recommendations to make fruitful the initiative of forming a global alliance for the establishment of social justice. Quoting the speeches of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I said only social justice can lay the foundation for ensuring peace and sustainable development."

In her meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, she called on UNHCR to create a congenial environment in Myanmar for the quick and safe repatriation of Rohingyas.

"I also sought their support in expediting the temporary relocation of a section of Rohingya population to Bhasanchar. I expressed concern over the declining amount of international financial assistance, including food aid, for the Rohingya population and emphasised the importance of maintaining the attention of the international community to this end," she added.

The premier had a bilateral meeting with the President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset.

On Saturday last, the premier returned home from Geneva, Switzerland after attending the "World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All" held on 14-15 June.

During the meeting, she requested the Swiss government to continue its special trade privileges for Bangladesh after its graduation from the list of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

She said, "The Rohingya situation was also discussed with the Swiss President and I called upon the international community, including Switzerland, to play an active role in resolving the crisis."

At the time, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on knowledge and skills development was signed between Bangladesh and the Swiss Confederation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the 3rd Qatar Economic Forum which took place in Qatar's capital Doha on 23-25 May at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

She had a meeting with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Jassim Al Thani, on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum. During the meeting, special emphasis on ensuring energy security was laid out.

On the same day, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy, Saad Bin Sherida Al Kaabi met Pm Hasina and hold a fruitful discussion on the continued import of LNG from Qatar in continuation of the ten-year agreement executed in 2015.

Later in the afternoon, Sheikh Hasina had a joint meeting with the Minister of Investment Khalid Al Falih of Saudi Arabia and the Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim.

Describing the meeting, she said, "Very constructive discussions were held on various specific proposals related to the expansion of trade and investment with Saudi Arabia. In this context, we agreed to accelerate the construction of container terminals, establishment of special economic zones and solar parks with a capacity of 400 megawatts through Saudi investment. In addition, I urged the Saudi authorities to invest in increasing the capacity of Payra seaport."

"The Saudi delegation expressed its interest in enhancing cooperation with Bangladesh in food production and processing, readymade garments and pharmaceuticals sectors," she added.

She further noted, "I welcomed the Saudi government's consideration of Bangladesh as a regional hub to expand their business in South and Southeast Asia."

On the morning of 24 May, the prime minister took part in an interview with Haslinda Amin, a Bloomberg correspondent and presenter, at the main event of the 3rd Qatar Economic Forum. 

"At this time, I answered various questions related to the economic situation of Bangladesh in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the precautionary loan from the IMF and the possibility of importing energy from various countries, including Qatar and Russia, in the light of our friendly foreign policy, the environment and preparations for the upcoming national elections.

"I reiterated my commitment that my government will do whatever is necessary to keep the development progress of the country going for the welfare of the people of Bangladesh. I also said that the IMF agreed to expedite the disbursement of loans to Bangladesh because we have the ability to repay the loan by meeting the conditions of IMF," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has mentioned that on my request, he will look into alternative employment for Bangladeshis who have become unemployed after FIFA World Cup 2022. Besides, he assured continued import of LNG from Qatar to Bangladesh on favourable terms.

"During the meeting, I reiterated the invitation to His Highness the Emir of Qatar to visit Bangladesh this year and he responded positively. I called upon the Government of Qatar to continue their active and constructive role in the future development of the Muslim Ummah." 

On 24 May afternoon, the representative of Bangladeshi citizens living in Qatar met the prime minister before she left Doha for Dhaka with her entourage.