New Government Pledges ‘Bangladesh First’ Foreign Policy, Emphasizing Sovereignty

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration that took power after its landslide election victory this month has declared that the country’s diplomacy will now be guided by an explicit ‘Bangladesh First’ doctrine, placing national interest, sovereignty, and dignity at the centre of all external relations.

Announced by the new foreign minister, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, the policy is presented as both a return to the pragmatic internationalism of the BNP’s founder, the late president Ziaur Rahman, and a sharper, more assertive update for a changed world. ‘Our motto is Bangladesh First,’ Rahman told journalists at the Padma state guest house on his first full day in office. ‘Above all will be Bangladesh. We will protect our independence and sovereignty, we will not interfere in each other’s internal affairs, and our policies will be based on mutual interests and national dignity.’

The five stated pillars are sovereign equality, respect for independence, non-interference in domestic matters, preservation of national honour, and mutual benefit. Relations with all countries- especially neighbours- will be pursued on these terms, Rahman said, while the government conducts a fresh evaluation of existing foreign engagements. He explicitly invoked Ziaur Rahman’s legacy of ‘friendship with all, enmity with none’, which secured Bangladesh a seat on the UN Security Council and helped found SAARC. Still, he added that the new version would give far greater weight to concrete national gains.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid reinforced the message. ‘We will protect the interests of the people of Bangladesh while maintaining good relations with all countries,’ she said, stressing that Dhaka would avoid over-dependence on any single partner and keep its ‘backbone straight’.

The announcement comes barely a week after Tarique Rahman, the BNP’s long-exiled acting chairman and son of Ziaur Rahman, was sworn in as prime minister on 17 February following the party’s commanding win in the 12 February general election. The victory ended more than a year of interim rule under Muhammad Yunus and marked a decisive rejection of the Awami League era that had tilted heavily towards India.

Analysts inside Bangladesh have greeted the rhetoric with a mixture of approval and scepticism. Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, a former Dhaka University professor of international relations, told local media the policy ‘sounds good’ but would be almost impossible to implement as long as key decision-makers hold dual citizenship or have close family ties to Western countries. ‘No country- India, China, Singapore- accepts dual citizens in positions of real power,’ he said. ‘Yet in Bangladesh, they run the country, and no one says anything. Their attention is often elsewhere.’

Former ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmed was blunter. While ‘keeping the backbone straight’ was the right aspiration, he said, personal or third-party interests had frequently bent it in the past. He questioned whether recent trade negotiations with the United States had truly put Bangladesh first and noted that some dual nationals from the interim period remain influential.

Rahman himself urged the Bangladeshi media to be objective and responsible, warning that careless reporting or speculation could damage the country’s international standing. He said the government wanted a ‘people-centric’ foreign policy and would ensure accountability.

The new doctrine arrives at a delicate geopolitical moment. India is watching closely after years of close alignment under Sheikh Hasina, now in exile in Delhi. China has deepened economic ties during the interim period, while the United States and European Union are pressing for governance reforms and labour rights improvements in the vital garment sector. The unresolved Rohingya crisis, with more than a million refugees still on Bangladeshi soil, adds further strain.

Whether ‘Bangladesh First’ translates into genuine strategic autonomy or simply a more nationalist tone will be tested quickly- in trade talks, river-water negotiations with India, infrastructure deals with China, and efforts to resolve the Myanmar border crisis. For now, the government insists the era of one-sided arrangements is over. As Rahman put it: ‘We will conduct our foreign affairs by fully protecting our interests.’

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Asif Showkat Kallol: Works for a German-based online outlet, The Mirror Asia as Head of News. Contributor, Pressenza- Dhaka Bureau.