Dhaka to never deviate from its principle by tilting towards any country: MoFA

Bangladesh will never deviate from its principle of “Friendship to all, malice towards none” by tilting towards a particular country, says a spokesperson on Thursday.

“Keeping economy and development at the centre, the ministry is working on a framework regarding expectations and priorities related to the Indo-Pacific,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters at a weekly briefing.

She said they can assure all that Bangladesh will firmly remain committed to peaceful and prosperous region, reports UNB.

The spokesperson said Bangladesh’s priority is economic interest; expedite development and improving people’s living standard. 

Bangladesh has long pursued a nonaligned foreign policy but it appears to be "moving closer to a full embrace" of the Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by the US and its partners in the region, which revolves around countering China, according to Foreign Policy’s South Asia brief.

Last month, Dhaka finalised a draft of its Indo-Pacific Outlook focused on objectives that mirror those of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, such as the need for a free, secure, and peaceful region, according to Foreign Policy's South Asia brief by Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Bangladesh shares the vision for a “free, open, peaceful, secure, and inclusive” Indo-Pacific Region, based on international law and with shared prosperity for all.