Matarbari port must serve Bangladesh’s interests: Shafiqur

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday warned that national interests, security and sovereignty must not be compromised in the name of developing the Matarbari Deep-Sea Port in Moheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
In a post on his verified Facebook page, he urged the government to clarify developments surrounding the project and ensure that any agreement prioritises Bangladesh’s interests over those of foreign partners.
His remarks followed a bilateral summit in Tokyo on Tuesday, where Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, agreed to expand the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt Initiative (BIG-B) into a broader 
“BIG-B for Shared Prosperity” framework centred on the port. “There is no scope to accept any initiative or decision regarding the Matarbari Deep-Sea Port that would compromise national interest, security or territorial sovereignty, and we, the countrymen, will not accept it,” he said.
Shafiqur also cautioned against repeating past arrangements involving transit facilities and corridors, claiming that such initiatives had been presented as serving Bangladesh’s national interests but had yielded no visible benefits.
Regardless of whether the partner is Japan, China or any other friendly nation, Bangladesh’s sovereignty, security and interests must take precedence, he said.