Sheikh Hasina will begin her global outreach with her visit to India in September

editor July 17, 2022 0

Facing criticism from the Western powers for democracy deficit, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to launch a series of diplomatic interactions, beginning with a visit to India in September. The visit was earlier scheduled to take place in July but is now being planned for September 6 to 7, sources here indicated. The India visit will be part of the greater international engagement that will include Ms. Hasina’s trip to the United Nations, and possibly other capital cities, as domestic and international "pulls and pressures" increase on the Awami League government ahead of next year’s elections.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of India-Bangladesh relations and the 100th birthday of Sheikh Mujib, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind travelled to Bangladesh. However, Ms. Hasina's visit was postponed, understandably due to emotional irritants like the recent comments made by two BJP leaders about the Prophet of Islam. A crowd assaulted a temple and residences belonging to the minority group in Narail district last Friday after prayers, reigniting communal tensions in the nation despite Bangladesh's apparent distance from the controversy. The repeated persecution of minority communities there has alarmed officials. The Indian side can also express worry in light of information of increased Pakistani activity in Dhaka.

As a result, the upcoming visit will give the two sides a chance to engage in political discussion about India's relationship with the Awami League and how Sheikh Hasina can address the growing threat of fundamentalism without compromising democratic principles and human rights, which have become sticking points between her government and the West.

Charles Whiteley, the head of the EU delegation to Bangladesh, stated last Friday during a discussion hosted by the Centre for Governance Studies in Dhaka that "labour rights breaches" could have a negative impact on the country's important textile industry. In recent months, the EU has increased its communication with Bangladeshi stakeholders. On Wednesday, Mr. Whiteley met with members of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party Standing Committee, including its secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The meeting, which took place just weeks after newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas called for "credible and transparent" elections in Bangladesh in 2023, suggested that Western powers were adopting a more hostile stance toward that country, which may have been influenced by both domestic and international factors.

Along with meeting with EU officials, UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis also met with opposition leaders to express support for anti-Hasina forces. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently ranked Bangladesh's economy as the 41st in the world and second in South Asia, despite criticism over its alleged lack of democracy. Ms. Hasina is likely to highlight the economic potential of Dhaka in her upcoming talks while continuing the circumspect diplomacy she has employed for the previous few years.

Bangladesh did not vote in favour of a resolution in April that demanded expulsion of Russia from the Human Rights Council due to its assault on Ukraine. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), backed by Russia, made progress toward a management agreement for liquid radioactive nuclear waste during the first week of July.

As seen by the RNPP project, where hundreds of Ukrainian scientists and engineers are collaborating with Russia's Rosatom, the three-time Prime Minister is also warming to new relationships in addition to existing ones. The self-financed Padma Multipurpose Bridge, built by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering, and the $12.65 billion nuclear power project are anticipated to be operational by 2023 and serve as the "national pride" platform for Ms. Hasina's reelection campaign, respectively.

But before the Russia-backed nuclear power project, Ms. Hasina will have to cope with public opinion on the floods in the country's east and a fuel shortage that was partially brought on by the conflict in Ukraine. Since its largest refinery, the Eastern Refinery, cannot handle the "heavier" Russian petroleum, Bangladesh cannot purchase Russian oil, according to State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid. As Dhaka looks for ways to fill the gap, this critical situation may come up during Ms. Hasina's next diplomatic trips, particularly those to India.

Aside from that, Ms. Hasina is anticipated to strengthen the developing connections with Paris. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed her to Paris last year following the COP26 conference in Glasgow, and it's believed that another round of talks between Hasina and Macron may happen before the election. Informed sources in Dhaka claimed that France is interested in constructing an aviation maintenance facility in Lalmonirhat, in eastern Bangladesh, and that the two countries have recently held a number of private, high-level military and diplomatic discussions. There have also been rumours that France may sell some of its most advanced military equipment to Bangladesh.