Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Thursday said Bangladesh has buried the submissive foreign policy of the past and will never bow to any country again.

Responding to a supplementary question from Naogaon-3 lawmaker Md Fazley Houda during the question-answer session in Parliament, the minister outlined the government’s foreign policy.

“Thanks to the strong and successful foreign policy pursued by our honourable Prime Minister, we are now standing tall with our heads held high,” he said.

“Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, we will continue to pursue this foreign policy, and Bangladesh will never again bow its head before anyone. We have buried the submissive foreign policy,” Khalilur said.

Referring to the previous Awami League regime, he said Bangladesh’s foreign policy had, to a large extent, not remained under its own control during the 15 years of what he described as misrule.

The minister said the government is now preparing Key Performance Indicators for every Bangladeshi mission abroad and will evaluate their performance accordingly.

“We will place all the relevant information before Parliament when we present the next budget. You have the right to know this information,” he said.

Ganges Treaty

Replying to another supplementary question from Bagerhat-4 lawmaker Abdul Aleem, Khalilur said Bangladesh remains active in pursuing its fair share of water from common rivers.

He said a team has been formed to prepare a new agreement following the expiry of the Ganges Water-sharing Treaty, and the Indian authorities have been informed accordingly. “We are now waiting for their response,” he said.

Teesta project

The minister said Bangladesh has started a technical evaluation with China regarding the Teesta project, adding that further steps will be taken based on the outcome of the assessment.

The third session of the current Parliament began at 3:00pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.

The first hour of the day’s proceedings was devoted to the question-answer session.