Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Friday held separate meetings with diplomats of Australia, Germany and Pakistan, focusing on the party’s vision for governance and the country’s future.

The discussions, held at the BNP chairperson’s office at Gulshan in the capital Dhaka, covered a range of issues, including bilateral relations, economic policy, trade cooperation and the forthcoming national elections scheduled for February 12.

Those who met Tarique included Australian high commissioner Susan Ryle, German ambassador Rüdiger Lotz and Pakistan high commissioner Imran Haider.

After the meeting, BNP joint secretary general Humayun Kabir told reporters that the central area of the discussions was strengthening bilateral ties and if voted to power, how a future BNP government would manage relations with the respective countries.

He said that the party’s broader foreign policy orientation and strategic priorities were also discussed.

According to Humayun, Tarique discussed the future economic recovery and development in detail during the meetings, with particular emphasis on the BNP’s 31-point proposal and its policy priorities.

The diplomats and the BNP leader also explored ways to expand trade, investment and people-to-people contacts between Bangladesh and the countries concerned, he said.

Humayun said that regarding the forthcoming elections, the foreign envoys expressed keen interest in the process.

He said that the diplomats were keen to engage in strategic exchanges, viewing Tarique as a major political leader of significance beyond Bangladesh in the broader Asia-Pacific context.

The diplomats offered condolences over the death of the party’s chairperson Khaleda Zia.