Hasina meets Zelenskyy as Bangladesh and the West mend fences

KOLKATA — Bangladesh and the U.S. are resetting ties strained by the South Asian country’s controversial elections earlier this year, reflecting a complex competition for influence in the region.

In the latest sign of a rapprochement between Dhaka and the West, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of this weekend’s Munich Security Conference in Germany. Accompanied by her new Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud she was also due to meet with U.S. and European representatives.

A statement issued by the Ukrainian side said Zelenskyy told her “about Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, the situation on the battlefield and the Ukrainian vision of a just peace.” They also discussed grain security and trade cooperation, “in particular, the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products.”

Hasina’s trip comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden sent her a letter, dated Feb. 6, expressing a “sincere desire” to “continue our work together” in a range of areas, including global security, economic development, climate change and humanitarian issues.

“The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh’s ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Biden said.

The tone was starkly different from a State Department statement issued after the Bangladeshi election on Jan. 7, which said the polls “were not free or fair.” The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the main opposition, boycotted the election, arguing that Hasina and her Awami League had won previous ones by rigging and intimidating opponents.

The Biden administration had gone so far as to impose visa restrictions on Bangladeshi officials deemed to undermine the democratic process.

But analysts say the shift at least partly suggests a recognition in Washington that pushing democracy risked sending Bangladesh into the arms of China and Russia and upsetting an increasingly crucial partner in India.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre in Washington, said the U.S. stance had been emboldening Moscow and Beijing, giving them a pretext to accuse America of meddling.

“If you are the Biden Administration, that’s not what you want,” he said.

Kugelman suggested that while Hasina likely resents the U.S. pressure over the elections, she has always wanted to maintain cooperation with Washington as the U.S. is a key trade partner — especially as a destination for Bangladesh’s garment industry.

Hasina’s positive response to Biden’s overtures is evident in her decision to meet with Zelenskyy, as the U.S. government has sought to rally support for Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion, including among countries of the so-called Global South.

It could also be seen as an attempt to balance Bangladesh’s ties with Russia. In November, three Russian warships docked at Bangladesh’s Chattogram port for talks and joint exercises with Bangladesh’s navy. Russia is also building a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister Mahmud stressed the meeting with Zelenskyy will not affect the friendly relationship between Bangladesh and Russia. “Russia is a very close friend of ours, and our ties go way back to the days of the Liberation War,” he said, referring to the conflict that led to independence.

Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, argued that Hasina has shown a knack for cultivating relations with a number of countries and widening her strategic options.

“Hasina’s relations are not limited to the U.S. but look beyond it, and many American allies are keen to develop ties with Bangladesh,” Ahmed said.

Hasina has made other moves to shore up ties with the West. In September, as concerns were building about the election, she hosted French President Emmanuel Macron and made progress on a multibillion-dollar deal for Airbus planes.

Ali Shah Farhad of Bangladesh’s Centre for Research and Information — a Dhaka-based think tank close to the Awami League — argued that Hasina has put herself in a position of strength by ensuring she has a range of partners and is not dependent on any one of them for growth and development.

Still, Shahab Enam Khan, a commentator on strategic affairs, emphasized that relatively speaking, “the U.S is Dhaka’s vital partner when it comes to economic development and investment, while China is the largest trade partner and biggest arms supplier.” That leaves Russia as something of a third wheel, with limited space apart from nuclear and other energy projects.

The flip side to having multiple partners is that Hasina’s government must also grapple with multiple geopolitical rivalries — such as the U.S. versus China and Russia, and India versus China. Kugelman pointed out that the Russia factor deepens Hasina’s challenge of navigating the current great power competition.

“Anything [Russia] does in Bangladesh will raise concerns in Washington and intensify U.S.-Russia competition there,” Kugelman added.

source : nikkei asia