Bangladesh will work closely with ASEAN to address transnational threats

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to working closely with ASEAN and its partners to strengthen regional cooperation in addressing emerging and transnational threats.

Speaking at a commemorative event in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, he said, “Practical and coordinated initiatives are needed to strengthen global capacity to address pandemics, climate-related shocks, cyberattacks, and disruptions to supply chains.”

The Foreign Ministry said this in a press release issued on Friday (July 24).

Dr. Khalilur Rahman said, “Joint early-warning systems, shared risk assessments, and regional crisis-response frameworks can play an important role in strengthening collective preparedness and capacity to address such challenges.”

The Foreign Minister also highlighted ways to combat AI-driven cybercrime and the spread of false and misleading information on social media.

The TAC, signed five decades ago, establishes principles governing relations among countries in the region. These include mutual respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

Bangladesh joined the TAC in 2007, becoming one of the first South Asian countries to enter into a treaty-based commitment to ASEAN’s rules-based framework.

On the sidelines of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the TAC, Dr. Khalilur Rahman held separate bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Chile, the Netherlands, and the Philippines, as well as Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

The meetings discussed various issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, energy supplies, water resource management, legal migration, and the circular economy.

The Foreign Minister is currently visiting Manila to attend the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and programmes marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.