In a bid to avoid sending a geopolitical signal favouring either Beijing or New Delhi, Dhaka could drop China for Malaysia as the destination for PM Tarique Rahman ’s first overseas visit after assuming office, said sources in Bangladesh’s foreign ministry.
“A number of dates are under discussion. It is likely that PM will visit Malaysia from June 21-22 before he travels to Beijing,” an official said, stressing his schedule is yet to be confirmed as “June 18 is also being considered”. Earlier, Tarique was expected to travel to Beijing from June 20-26, despite a pending invitation from PM Narendra Modi and Bhutan initially being chosen as the destination of his first foreign tour.
In April, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim had invited Tarique to visit Malaysia, with the Southeast Asian nation reaffirming its commitment to further strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors. People in the know said that if Malaysia is indeed Tarique’s first bilateral overseas visit, it could to some extent help ease the pressure in India-Bangladesh relations, troubled since the ouster of PM Hasina.
Visiting Malaysia will strengthen ties between the countries which this year signed five MoUs , the official said, recalling PM Ibrahim was the first foreign leader to visit Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster as PM, sending out a clear message that Dhaka was not alone in its moment of transition.
