Bangladesh has buried its past “subservient” foreign policy to stand tall on the global stage with a straight spine, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told Parliament on Thursday.
Answering queries on the evaluation of overseas missions in a session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, the minister said the country has successfully emerged from 15 years of weak diplomacy.
Khalilur credited the prime minister’s successful and far-reaching foreign policy for enabling Bangladesh to hold its head high, adding that this visionary leadership would guide the nation’s foreign policy forward in a more organised manner.
Responding to a query, the minister acknowledged that it is a matter of review whether any special “reward system” or prize method is currently in place for missions that excel in generating overseas employment, searching for new labour markets, increasing manpower exports, or maximising trade exchange.
Khalilur added that during the past 15 years of misrule, Bangladesh’s foreign policy and various diplomatic missions were practically out of the government’s control.
He added that the previous administration showed no visible interest or effective supervision in the overall activities of the embassies, in providing services to expatriates, or in protecting the nation’s economic and political interests.
The current government, however, has successfully pulled the missions out of that stagnant and dysfunctional state since taking office.
To enhance accountability and efficiency, Khalilur announced that the government is preparing a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework to evaluate the performance of each embassy. Future grading and performance assessments of these missions will be determined based on these KPIs.
He assured Parliament that updated information regarding the successes and failures of each embassy would be formally presented during the next national budget session, as lawmakers have a full right to be informed.
The foreign minister also admitted in Parliament that the current budget allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is highly inadequate given the country’s size, economic priorities, and the importance of global diplomacy.
He noted that this issue had been strongly highlighted during previous budget discussions.
Nonetheless, he expressed optimism that under the Prime Minister’s leadership, necessary budget increases and policy reforms would pave the way for massive progress in foreign diplomatic relations in the coming days.
