Photo: Messenger
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, is visiting Germany from the 16th to the 18th of February 2024. This is the first foreign visit of the Premier after the formation of a new government following victory in the election on 7 January 2024.
The Prime Minister will likely attend Germany's global flagship event, the Munich Security Conference (MSC), and bilateral meetings with the German government officials.
For any Bangladeshi Prime Minister, choosing Europe as the first foreign visit after forming a government is rare. Usually, the Prime Ministers in the past visited either neighbouring countries that are geopolitically significant or countries that have strong ties with Bangladesh.
Even though the European Union (EU) is the largest market for Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) exports, we hardly saw any prime minister in the past who undertook their first foreign visit to any European destination.
Besides, in this divisive world, where great power rivalries are transforming into conflicts and the effects of the conflicts are rapidly becoming globalised, MSC’s themes and discussions this year also hold significance.
As top diplomats, business persons, global civil societies, senior decision-makers, and government heads join in the pressing discussion at the conference, the conference is also crucial in shaping and framing the perspective regarding international peace and security.
MSC-2024: SHIFTING PRIORITIES AND GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS
This year’s Munich Security Conference is the 60th conference since it began its journey in 1963. This year, the conference mainly focuses on strengthening rules-based international order and the inclusive coalition against security threats, designed for Europe to exchange perspectives with the rest of the world.
European leaders will gather in Munich to discuss how to strengthen the rules-based international order to counter its geopolitical rivals. The discussion will also include various perspectives on the priority issues and concerns from different quarters and regions.
The survey report prepared by MSC ahead of the conference suggests that people from the Global South believe the idea of a rules-based international order is a Western idea of interest for its advantage in great power rivalry.
The report titled ‘Lose-Lose? Munich Security Report 2024’ also pointed out that people believe the West is guilty of double standards. It is because of the selective intervention and overlooking of violations of rights and undermining values by Western allies worldwide. The report further reveals that people think that if the current trend of such hypocrisy continues, the US and the West will lose in the court of global public opinion.
The same survey further reveals that people's perception of security threats has also shifted. Previously, ordinary people in the West used to fear radical Islamic terrorism and threats from Russia as major security threats. But this year’s survey suggests that people are more concerned with war-related displacement and mass migration due to climate change ahead of the threats from Russia.
They are also concerned about new threats from technological advancement. People are more worried about cyberattacks and various artificial intelligence (AI) misuses. The non-traditional security threats are becoming more relevant for ordinary people as they face them in their daily lives.
The report also highlighted that the clash between economic interests and security concerns is increasing as the state and businesses have divergent interests. It referred to a case in which German companies have increased investment in China while the German government perceives China as a security concern.
Amid such a tumultuous dichotomy and complex international scenario, the conference will bring together different perspectives and top decision-makers to create a middle ground. It would also address the West's reducing influence and the Global South's growing discontent regarding Western hegemony over ideal space.
WHAT DOES PM HASINA’S VISIT MEAN?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina first attended the MSC conference in 2019. After four years, her first visit after forming a new government suggests that she is interested in attending the discussions.
Besides, the sidelines of the conference will facilitate her to meet with global leaders from different regions and sectors. As the Israeli President and Palestine's Prime Minister both will attend the conference, global conflicts, including Gaza and Ukraine, will likely be discussed at the top level, which Bangladesh would have a chance to be a part of. It would enhance Bangladesh’s position in international politics.
However, the bilateral engagement with German government officials will also help advance decades-old Germany-Bangladesh and Bangladesh-EU relations.
Prime Minister is scheduled to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
One important message that the analysts can get from the PM's choosing her first European visit is that Bangladesh wants to deepen its engagement with Europe for the next five years. As the country is currently undergoing its LDC graduation, scheduled to be completed by 2026, Europe, as one of the major markets, surely becomes important for Bangladesh to deepen its engagement with.
While Bangladesh seeks a GSP+ scheme after graduation, the EU has concerns over Bangladesh's labour reform and democratic practices.
Besides economic aspects, the EU is also a comfortable political partner for Bangladesh, as, amid great power rivalry between the US and China and regional rivalry between India and China, Bangladesh has to balance all three powers.
To reduce the geopolitical stake, Bangladesh wants to elevate existing partnerships. The EU also wants to sign a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Bangladesh, which is a legally binding agreement.
Perhaps the Prime Minister's choosing Europe for her first visit in the new term is a signal that the EU is an important partner for her in this term as LDC graduation will take place and Bangladesh will have to secure GSP+. Besides bilateral calculations, choosing to attend the MSC suggests that Bangladesh has little scope to avoid divisive global politics. As a result, attending such flagship events also becomes important.
Lastly, the EU will become an important actor for Bangladesh in its foreign relations for the next five years.
The writer is postgraduate student, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka.
He can be reached at [email protected]
Messenger/Disha
