Dhaka, June 4 -- Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Thursday said any approach forcing Bangladesh to choose between key international partners would be detrimental to national interests.

"Any policy that compels Bangladesh to choose one side over another would be harmful to the country's long-term interests," the minister said.

Bangladesh must pursue a foreign policy that integrates all major internal and external dimensions, he said while presiding over a discussion titled "Ziaur Rahman's Independent Foreign Policy in the Current Context" and a newspaper exhibition organised at the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) auditorium marking the 45th death anniversary of former president Ziaur Rahman.

Local Government,...