Bangladesh firm to remain engaged with Myanmar

Despite the existence of serious irritants like the Rohingya crisis, yaba smuggling and border issues, Bangladesh is determined to remain positively engaged with Myanmar, the Foreign Minitry has said. The primary reason cited behind this approach is a recognition that only greater engagement can help Dhaka, Naypyidaw or the region.
While agreeing that at times, Myanmar’s attitude towards Bangladesh does not seem to be 'good-neighbourly', officials at the Foreign Ministry emphasise that only positive bilateral and regional engagements can overcome challenges in the relationship.
“The relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar are good,” Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque told The Independent, adding that scope for improvement exists in every relationship and that Dhaka-Naypyidaw relations were no exception.
When asked to point out specifics where urgent improvement was needed, the top diplomat said, “At present, I can only mention better border management.”
“We will continue engaging positively with our next door neighbour to solve all the problems so that people of both the countries can benefit,” he added.
Foreign Ministry officials, however, point out that the Rohingya issue, yaba smuggling and border troubles are the main challenges that exist in the relationship between the two nations. Myanmar, they say, is the source of all these three problems. There is no quick fix solution for any of these problems, the officials who spoke to The Independent on the condition of anonymity, observed. “There exists a lack of trust between the two countries,” they said, adding that there was hope of some improvement after the elections in Myanmar later this year.

“Mistrust on Bangladesh on part of Myanmar is not helping us move forward towards realising the full potential of our relationship. Myanmar believes that we harbour insurgents who fight against Myanmar. This is baseless,” said a senior official.
“Actually, we don’t know each other as we should. It’s a pity,” he added.
With a realisation that it is prudent to tap the potential of the relationship, the last few years have seen the government engage with Myanmar more vigorously than ever before. At times, it has even appeared to have worked.
Myanmar agreed on resumption of the repatriation of Rohingyas that was stalled in 2005, cooperation on better border management, yaba smuggling, human trafficking and cooperation on energy and connectivity.
However, Myanmar is not great at following up on issues that both sides have agreed upon, officials point out. For instance, at the Foreign Office Consultations in Dhaka in August last year, both countries agreed to resume the process of repatriation of cleared Rohingyas within two months. That is yet to happen despite Bangladesh sending reminders to Myanmar.
The recent abduction of Border Guard Bangladesh's Nayek Abdur Razzak by Myanmar’s Border Guard Police also reflected the constraints of the relationship. Officials believe it was pre-planned and that Myanmar perhaps wanted Bangladesh to retaliate in order to divert the spotlight from the Rohingya issue.
“Bangladesh is mature enough not to fall in the trap of Myanmar with regard to the BGB man. Dhaka kept its cool and remained engaged bilaterally with little help from other friends. Ultimately, we succeeded and got our man free,” said a senior official.
However, Bangladesh did place Myanmar in a tight spot by making the international community understand that the root cause behind the crisis regarding irregular migration through the sea lies in Myanmar. This, officials say, resulted in international pressure on Myanmar to address the issue.
The officials further noted that yaba smuggling had turned a threat for the country. At a recent meeting with Myanmar, Bangladesh did convey this to their counterparts. Myanmar too acknowledges that yaba is a threat to them and assured action. “Now, it is to be seen if they live up to their pledge,” he added
Nevertheless, Dhaka has been encouraging Naypyidaw for regular bilateral meetings on different aspects. “This relationship has huge potential. Look at the trade aspect alone. The bilateral trade is virtually nothing despite the fact that both countries have sizable populations. If we could do business properly, both the nations would have been benefited enormously,” said a senior official.
Officials hoped that things would change for the better with Myanmar opening up to the rest of the world and embracing democracy.
They believe that at some point, Myanmar may feel encouraged to benefit from the relationship by solving existing problems that are currently holding back ties.
“In July, 2014, the Parliamentary Standing Committee suggested frequent bilateral discussions with Myanmar to solve the problems and the issue of lack of trust. And we are doing that and intend to continue doing so in the future as well,” said a senior official.
“Of course, by upholding our dignity,” he added.

Bangladesh firm to remain engaged with Myanmar

Despite the existence of serious irritants like the Rohingya crisis, yaba smuggling and border issues, Bangladesh is determined to remain positively engaged with Myanmar, the Foreign Minitry has said. The primary reason cited behind this approach is a recognition that only greater engagement can help Dhaka, Naypyidaw or the region. While agreeing that at times, Myanmars attitude towards Bangladesh does not seem to be good-neighbourly, officials at the Foreign Ministry emphasise that only positive bilateral and regional engagements can overcome challenges in the relationship. The relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar are good, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque told The Independent, adding that scope for improvement exists in every relationship and that Dhaka-Naypyidaw relations were no exception. When asked to point out specifics where urgent improvement was needed, the top diplomat said, At present, I can only mention better border management. We will continue engaging positively with our next door neighbour to solve all the problems so that people of both the countries can benefit, he added. Foreign Ministry officials, however, point out that the Rohingya issue, yaba smuggling and border troubles are the main challenges that exist in the relationship between the two nations. Myanmar, they say, is the source of all these three problems. There is no quick fix solution for any of these problems, the officials who spoke to The Independent on the condition of anonymity, observed. There exists a lack of trust between the two countries, they said, adding that there was hope of some improvement after the elections in Myanmar later this year. Mistrust on Bangladesh on part of Myanmar is not helping us move forward towards realising the full potential of our relationship. Myanmar believes that we harbour insurgents who fight against Myanmar. This is baseless, said a senior official. Actually, we dont know each other as we should. Its a pity, he added. With a realisation that it is prudent to tap the potential of the relationship, the last few years have seen the government engage with Myanmar more vigorously than ever before. At times, it has even appeared to have worked. Myanmar agreed on resumption of the repatriation of Rohingyas that was stalled in 2005, cooperation on better border management, yaba smuggling, human trafficking and cooperation on energy and connectivity. However, Myanmar is not great at following up on issues that both sides have agreed upon, officials point out. For instance, at the Foreign Office Consultations in Dhaka in August last year, both countries agreed to resume the process of repatriation of cleared Rohingyas within two months. That is yet to happen despite Bangladesh sending reminders to Myanmar. The recent abduction of Border Guard Bangladeshs Nayek Abdur Razzak by Myanmars Border Guard Police also reflected the constraints of the relationship. Officials believe it was pre-planned and that Myanmar perhaps wanted Bangladesh to retaliate in order to divert the spotlight from the Rohingya issue. Bangladesh is mature enough not to fall in the trap of Myanmar with regard to the BGB man. Dhaka kept its cool and remained engaged bilaterally with little help from other friends. Ultimately, we succeeded and got our man free, said a senior official. However, Bangladesh did place Myanmar in a tight spot by making the international community understand that the root cause behind the crisis regarding irregular migration through the sea lies in Myanmar. This, officials say, resulted in international pressure on Myanmar to address the issue. The officials further noted that yaba smuggling had turned a threat for the country. At a recent meeting with Myanmar, Bangladesh did convey this to their counterparts. Myanmar too acknowledges that yaba is a threat to them and assured action. Now, it is to be seen if they live up to their pledge, he added Nevertheless, Dhaka has been encouraging Naypyidaw for regular bilateral meetings on different aspects. This relationship has huge potential. Look at the trade aspect alone. The bilateral trade is virtually nothing despite the fact that both countries have sizable populations. If we could do business properly, both the nations would have been benefited enormously, said a senior official. Officials hoped that things would change for the better with Myanmar opening up to the rest of the world and embracing democracy. They believe that at some point, Myanmar may feel encouraged to benefit from the relationship by solving existing problems that are currently holding back ties. In July, 2014, the Parliamentary Standing Committee suggested frequent bilateral discussions with Myanmar to solve the problems and the issue of lack of trust. And we are doing that and intend to continue doing so in the future as well, said a senior official. Of course, by upholding our dignity, he added.