Bangladesh has been able to stand tall in the international arena under the current government's independent and robust foreign policy, says the Foreign Minister, adding that the country has "buried its subservient foreign policy".
Khalilur Rahman claims the country has moved away from the weak diplomatic position of the past 15 years and buried the past practice.
He made the remarks Thursday while responding to lawmakers' questions on the overall performance of Bangladesh's foreign missions during a parliamentary session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
Foreign Minister Rahman told the House that Bangladesh now gained the ability to stand with its "own backbone" and hold its head high in the international arena thanks to the successful and farsighted foreign policy pursued by the incumbent prime minister.
"Based on this visionary leadership, Bangladesh's foreign policy will be taken forward in a more organised and systematic manner," he said, ostensibly when some foreign-policy options in relation to geopolitical developments came to the fore.
Responding to a lawmaker's question about the performance of Bangladeshi diplomatic missions abroad and efforts to expand overseas labour markets, Khalilur Rahman acknowledged that the government needed to review whether a special reward-or incentive system was in place for missions that had performed successfully in creating employment opportunities, exploring new labour markets, increasing the deployment of Bangladeshi workers or maximising trade.
He alleged that during the 15 years of what he described as misrule, Bangladesh's foreign policy and diplomatic missions had effectively not been under the control of the government.
"There was no visible interest or effective monitoring by the previous government regarding the overall activities of the embassies, services for expatriate Bangladeshis, or the protection of Bangladesh's economic and political interests," he said.
To another question, the foreign minister said Bangladesh would positively consider joining the Saudi Arabia-Türkiye-Pakistan "Makkah Pact" if the countries behind the arrangement approach Dhaka with an invitation.
He also notes there is no reason for other countries or communities to be concerned if the pact is expanded.
Responding to a supplementary question from independent MP Rumeen Farhana about the possible benefits of Bangladesh joining the defence lineup, Khalilur Rahman said the matter was not currently under consideration because no invitation had been made.
"If they express an intention to invite Bangladesh to join this pact, we will certainly have to consider the matter," he said.
He said it would be premature to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of membership before such an invitation was extended.
"We will certainly keep all these matters under consideration," the foreign minister said.
The pact was signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on 7 August 2026. Bangladesh views the initiative positively, the foreign minister said, while stressing that any decision on Dhaka's participation would depend primarily on the intentions of the existing members.
Khalilur Rahman also sought to downplay concerns about the possible expansion of the troika, describing it as a mechanism for the collective self-defence of Muslim countries and an internal matter for the Muslim community.
"There is no reason for others to have any concern over it," he said.
