[ad_1]
Dhaka [Bangladesh], Jan. 28 (ANI): War in Ukraine complicates matters in Bangladesh, Moscow’s rivalry with Washington poses a test for Dhaka’s non-aligned foreign policy. The country needs to maintain relations with the US and Russia, which will be difficult because of the war, noted a report by the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS).
The testing moment comes as the country prepares for two major elections. The Bangladesh Election Commission announced last week that the election for the next Bangladeshi president will be held on February 19, while the more important form of general elections will be held early next year.
Amid all this, large protest rallies have been organized in Bangladesh by political opponents, mainly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the outlawed Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JEI), in an attempt to regain relevance. Sex and countering activism Since returning to power in January 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been facilitated by political stability, greatly improved socio-economic indicators and a transformation of the law and order situation in the country.
According to EFSAS, external pressure on Bangladesh since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year has reached such a level that an irate foreign minister, Abu Kalam Abdul Momin, felt compelled to warn that he The country does not want any foreign interference in Dhaka’s internal affairs.
Bangladesh has also had to carefully balance its relationship with the US and China over the past few years as rivalry between the two countries has escalated. Dhaka sees both as important to Bangladesh’s long-term interests and wishes to maintain friendly cooperation with each.
Bangladesh Live News recently reported that Bangladesh is caught between China and the United States as both sides want a strategic alliance with the country as they quarrel over the region’s superpower status.
The United States worries that recent tensions with Bangladesh could turn into an opportunity for China to get closer.
Recently, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said: “Bangladesh hopes to maintain good relations with the United States and China. This is a challenging thing.”
Bangladesh’s relationship with Washington has been troubled since December 2021, after the US announced sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, Bangladesh’s elite security force, for alleged human rights violations such as enforced disappearances.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further in 2022 after the U.S. called on Bangladesh to ensure free and fair upcoming elections. Momen said his country does not need the democratic lessons of other countries.
However, Dhaka also has tense relations with Beijing.
In May 2021, the then Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh said relations between the two countries could be “substantially damaged” if the South Asian country joined any initiative launched by the Washington-led quadrilateral alliance, Bangladesh Live News reported. The reply said that it was a sovereign country that would make its own decisions about the country’s foreign policy. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link
