The government will follow a “Bangladesh First” policy regarding the Mecca Pact, Deputy Foreign Minister Shama Obaied has said. “A decision will only be made after the matter is carefully reviewed, taking the necessary time,” she said.
She made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.
Shama Obaied said: “We follow a Bangladesh First policy before joining any multilateral forum. The government will decide after reviewing what benefit Bangladesh would gain from joining, and what advantage it holds for the public.”
The deputy foreign minister said: “We haven’t received anything officially yet. But it remains open — let’s see.”
Earlier, the deputy foreign minister met with a delegation led by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General Anda Philip. At the meeting, the IPU welcomed Bangladesh’s return to democracy.
Shama Obaied said the talks also covered strengthening parliamentary democracy, building institutional capacity and reinforcing parliamentary diplomacy. She said the IPU also views the presence of young members of parliament positively.
The deputy foreign minister said the meeting also discussed resolving the Rohingya crisis and securing support from international parliamentary forums to address climate risk.