Foreign Affairs
Dhaka, Tokyo to elevate bilateral ties to ‘strategic partnership’
Bangladesh and Japan want to elevate the bilateral relations to ‘strategic partnership’ level during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to Japan.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Japan from November 29 to December 1, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The planned visit was discussed when the Director General of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arima Yutaka met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen in Dhaka on Thursday.
At the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral relations between the two countries.
They particularly highlighted the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan in May 2014, when she and the then Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe elevated the bilateral relations between the countries to ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ level, and also the visit of Shinzo Abe to Bangladesh in September 2014, when the two countries forged deeper economic partnership under BIG-B.
Read: PM’s Japan Visit: Dhaka to seek more investment, financing for big projects
Both sides expected that during PM Hasina’s upcoming visit, Bangladesh and Japan would foster deeper economic partnership in terms of development cooperation, trade and investment, human resources development, agriculture, ICT, education, defence dialogue and exchanges, people-to-people connectivity, repatriation of Rohingyas, etc.
The two sides also expressed the desire to enhance cooperation in international fora, including on climate change, UN reforms, disarmament and non-proliferation, etc.
Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Ito Naoki and Director General (East Asia and Pacific) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also joined the meeting.
The Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan is on a two-day visit to Dhaka to discuss the preparations of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to Japan.
Bangladesh appoints career diplomat Nazrul Islam as ambassador to Qatar
The government has appointed career diplomat Md. Nazrul Islam as the new Ambassador of Bangladesh to the State of Qatar.
He will succeed Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.
Ambassador Nazrul Islam is a career foreign service officer belonging to the 15th batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre.
He is currently serving as Ambassador of Bangladesh to Ethiopia with concurrent accreditation to South Sudan, Burundi and African Union (AU).
Read: Shahidul Karim Bangladesh's new ambassador to Denmark
In his distinguished diplomatic career, Islam also served in different capacities at Bangladesh Missions in Rome, Kolkata and Geneva and had been engaged in many important multilateral negotiations for the government.
At the headquarters, he worked in various capacities in different wings.
Islam obtained his Masters in International Relations from Dhaka University and had undergone higher studies and trainings in France, the Netherlands and elsewhere.
“We very much value and welcome tourists from Bangladesh”
Acting Bhutanese Ambassador in Dhaka Sherab Dorji has invited Bangladeshi tourists to enjoy the best of the experiences and bring back full of beautiful memories after visiting Bhutan.
“We very much value and welcome tourists from Bangladesh and other countries. We are confident that every visitor will enjoy the best of the experiences and bring back full of beautiful memories after visiting Bhutan,” he said.
Announcing on Friday night that Bhutan is formally reopened for tourists to visit, the diplomat said with its raised Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) Bhutan believes that it will put them in good stead to mitigate climate change and maintain carbon-neutral tourism which will not only benefit Bhutan, but also the world as a whole.
“As the Covid-19 situation around the world improved and with high coverage of vaccination in the country, the Royal government of Bhutan now feels confident,” he said.
Read: Bhutan Travel Guide: Best places to visit, interesting things to do
Explaining why the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) is being raised from US$ 65 to US$ 200, the diplomat said Bhutan introduced SDF of US$ 65 in 1991 and an increase in SDF was due a long time back.
Secondly, he said, Bhutan is a carbon neutral country and the country also sequesters 9.4 million tons of carbon against its emission capacity of 3.8 million tons.
“With climate change, it is imperative that Bhutan continues to conserve its environment,” said Sherab, also the Head of Chancery of the Royal Bhutanese Embassy.
Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Md. Mokammel Hossain spoke as the chief guest while BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell attended as special guest at the event held in a city hotel marking reopening of tourism of the Kingdom of Bhutan. President of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh Shiblul Azam Koreshi was also present.
Read: Bangladesh's role in Bhutan’s socio-economic dev immense: Envoy
The Bhutanese envoy said Bhutan will endeavour to provide authentic experiences supported by world class services and personal care to the tourists.
He said tourism has been and will continue to be an important economic sector for Bhutan. “However, the renewed vision for the tourism sector consciously and deliberately places considerations for Bhutan's future and its future generation at the forefront.”
Opportunities abound to boost Dhaka-Bangkok economic cooperation: Thai foreign ministry official
Under the sustainable economic development model of Bangladesh and the bio-circular-green economy model of Thailand, there are ample opportunities to step up economic cooperation between the countries, Sarun Charoensuwan, deputy permanent secretary of the Thai foreign ministry, said Friday.
He was speaking at a seminar on trade and investment opportunities organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to mark the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and Thailand.
Maleka Parveen, chargé d'affaires of the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok, also spoke at the programme.
Read: Thailand now offering 10-year visa: Who are eligible?
She stressed the importance of the exchange of business delegations. She hoped that through this seminar, the businessmen and investors of the two countries would be able to learn more about the sector-based benefits and opportunities provided by the governments of Bangladesh and Thailand.
Representatives from academia, the Board of Investment of Thailand, Thai investors in Bangladesh, the Thai Halal Food Manufacturers and Exporters Association and representatives of Thai public and private sectors participated in the event.
Read: Seeds For The Future competition: Eight Bangladeshi students fly to Thailand
Md Ariful Haque, director of the International Investment Development Division of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, joined the session online.
He focused on the investment opportunities and prospects for Thai investors in Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh, Vietnam to work together to achieve higher economic growth”
Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pham Viet Chien has pledged that his country will continue to work together with Bangladesh to achieve higher economic growth in line with the development goals of the two countries.
“I strongly believe Viet Nam and Bangladesh will maintain a higher economic growth and keep moving towards realizing the targets to be upper middle-income countries in 2030 and then developed high-income countries in the early 2040,” he said.
The ambassador, while speaking at the 77th Vietnamese National Day reception at a city hotel on Friday night, said the two countries will continue to cooperate in living up to the dreams of the Fathers of Nations - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.
He mentioned that as same as the 2030 and 2041 visions of the government of Bangladesh, the National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam set the national development goals for 2030 and 2045.
The envoy said Viet Nam has been and will always be a friend, reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community.
“The government of Viet Nam hopes to join hands with Bangladesh and other countries to address traditional and non-traditional security challenges, to work towards a peaceful world of more sustained, inclusive and humanistic development,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque spoke as the chief guest at the reception attended by politicians, diplomats, business leaders and cultural activists.
Razzaque laid emphasis on enhancing trade and investment relations between the two countries and sought market access of diversified products to Viet Nam from Bangladesh.
Read: Declaration of Independence – Will, aspirations of Vietnamese people
“BGB vigilant, none can enter from Myanmar now”
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today (September 1, 2022) said Bangladesh is better prepared so that none can enter from Myanmar now due to the deteriorated situation in Rakhine state.
"Our agencies are better prepared. BGB has been instructed to remain vigilant," he told reporters at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shahriar, however, said they do not see any exodus like 2016 and 2017, though some people fear that the rest of Rohingyas will cross over into Bangladesh amid worsening situation in the Myanmar side.
He said what is happening in Myanmar is an internal issue of Myanmar.
Shahriar said they are giving utmost importance to keep the border secure.
Read: We unmasked some people through Bachelet’s visit: Shahriar
He said the Myanmar side was warned twice in August following mortar shells landing in Bangladesh territory from Myanmar and strong protest was lodged in this regard.
The State Minister said they did not want to prevent those (Rohingyas) in 2016-2017 on humanitarian grounds and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had given those shelters.
“But now we have some information which was not available at that time,” he said.
Responding to a question, the State Minister said Bangladesh’s air space was not violated this time.
“We do not want to step into Myanmar's provocation or trap,” he said, adding that they (Myanmar side) might have a strategic benefit if they can move in such a unilateral direction.
Shahriar said the international community knows the true intention of Bangladesh and will keep the diplomatic community informed in advance so that they can understand the situation well if any untoward incident happens.
The State Minister said the Myanmar side shows true intention to take back their citizens only when they face pressure from the international community.
He said Bangladesh got engaged with Myanmar twice virtually recently to discuss the repatriation issue.
Shahriar said the Myanmar side agreed to sit again soon and this time the meeting is likely to be held in-person.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Monday summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Aung Kyaw Moe and lodged a strong protest against Myanmar’s mortar shells landing inside Bangladesh territory a day earlier.
FM reiterates Dhaka’s call for repatriation of Rohingyas
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday reiterated Dhaka’s call for smooth repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State ending their plights and miseries.
Apart from seeking international community’s support, he said Bangladesh is also talking to Myanmar on good faith as Myanmar has expressed its willingness for repatriation of the Rohingyas.
The foreign minister also sought genuine efforts to create an environment conducive to repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Rohingya Crisis: The Pathways to Repatriation” at the Foreign Service Academy organized by the Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), University of Dhaka.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered the opening remarks while Director, Centre for Genocide Studies Professor Imtiaz Ahmed presented keynote paper.
The protracted Rohingya crisis has stepped into another year without a single Rohingya repatriated to their homeland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a media release said the international community should focus on creating a safe and conducive situation on the ground in northern Rakhine and the smooth conduct of repatriation and reintegration to the Myanmar society for the Rohingyas.
“The Rohingya crisis is not a bilateral issue. Its origin and solution lies in Myanmar,” MoFA said on the fifth anniversary of the forced displacement of Rohingyas to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh tried to arrange safe, sustainable and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to Rakhine State through negotiations with Myanmar following the bilateral instruments.
“Unfortunately, not a single Rohingya could return to Myanmar yet for the non-committal attitude of Myanmar towards their obligation enshrined to the bilateral mechanisms,” MoFA said.
Due to the frustrating development on the bilateral front in commencing the repatriation, Bangladesh involves friendly countries to assist their repatriation.
Starting their safe, sustainable, voluntary repatriation to their homeland Rakhine State as early as possible should be a priority through dialogue and discussion, Bangladesh says.
Bangladesh says the UN and the partners must undertake tangible actions and projects to create a conducive environment with safety and security.
“ASEAN can take the lead role in such engagements. The presence of ASEAN and international actors in the Rakhine state can help to reduce the trust deficit between Rohingya and Nay Pyi Taw and help confidence building that is essential for smooth repatriation,” according to the MoFA release.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saved the world from a “humane catastrophe” in 2017 by sheltering these persecuted people.
“If the crisis is not resolved quickly, it may create a security problem for the region and beyond. The government is trying its best to ensure early repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas,” MoFA said.
Return to their homeland is also the aspiration of the displaced Rohingya population and they are receiving education, food, shelter, health care and other services in Bangladesh.
“They participate in skill development activities to enhance their livelihood opportunities in Rakhine once they return,” MoFA said.
Earlier, United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer said it is critical that the international community continues to seek comprehensive, durable and inclusive solutions to the Rohingya crisis.
“We cannot let this become a forgotten crisis,” said Special Envoy Heyzer in a statement who also attended the seminar.
On the five-year mark of the forced mass displacement of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Bangladesh continues to show “great generosity and leadership” in hosting refugees, which requires renewed international attention and equitable burden-sharing by countries in the region and beyond, she said on Thursday.
In their productive discussions, the Special Envoy thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership and expressed the United Nations’ deep appreciation to the people and government of Bangladesh for their immense contribution.
“I will continue to advocate for greater leadership of countries in the region in supporting Bangladesh and leveraging their influence with Myanmar to create conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees,” she said.
Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Momen urges Western leaders to impose economic sanctions on Myanmar
She also highlighted Bangladesh’s pivotal role in working with the ASEAN.
“The generosity of Bangladesh and host communities towards Rohingya refugees in their time of need conveys a critical need for greater international and regional commitment to burden share and ensure that the Rohingya do not become forgotten,” Heyzer said.
She highlighted the major pressures on Bangladesh as host of one of the largest refugee populations in the world, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
On the other hand, foreign missions stationed in Dhaka said they will continue to pursue a long-term solution to the Rohingya crisis and its causes.
"Five years on, the international community stands resolute in solidarity in its support for Rohingya and Bangladesh," reads a joint statement by the embassies and high commissions in Dhaka on Thursday.
The signatories are Australian High Commission in Dhaka, British High Commission, High Commission of Canada, Embassy of Denmark, European Union Delegation to Bangladesh, Embassy of France, German Embassy, Embassy of Italy, Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Switzerland and Embassy of the United States of America in Bangladesh.
The foreign missions in their joint statement said they will continue to work together with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN, and international and national partners, to ensure that Rohingya refugees receive humanitarian assistance, protection and education.
"We underline the importance of Rohingya’s ability to live safe, purposeful and dignified lives whilst they are in Bangladesh and support the efforts to prepare them for return to Myanmar, once conditions allow."
Bangladesh's continental shelf: MoFA secretary discusses amended submission with CLCS chair
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Maritime Affairs Unit Secretary Rear Admiral Md Khurshed Alam (retired) and Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) Chair Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri have discussed Bangladesh's amended submission to the CLCS.
Khurshed has said the final recommendation of the United Nations would provide a basis for the exploration, conservation and development of living and non-living natural resources that would help ensure Bangladesh's sustainable development, energy needs and prosperity of the people.
Muhammad Abdul Muhith, ambassador and permanent representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, was also present.
Based on the binding verdicts of the international tribunals, the Bangladesh government reviewed its submission and lodged a fresh version to the Commission on October 22, 2020.
Read: Bangladesh shares updated info on continental shelf in Bay with UN
In the amended submission, delimitation lines prescribed by the tribunals were used to determine the limits of Bangladesh's continental shelf.
The purpose of the CLCS is to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Under the Convention, a coastal state is supposed to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf where it extends beyond 200 nautical miles based on the recommendation of the Commission.
Dhaka, Beijing to work with patience to achieve dev goals: Momen
Bangladesh and China have agreed to work with “patience” to achieve their development goals ignoring “provocation and obstruction” noting that peace and stability are required for a country’s further progress.
While briefing media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday afternoon, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen described Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s just concluded Dhaka visit as “politically very significant.”
The Chinese side assured that they will always remain beside Bangladesh in its development journey and will work together to take the existing good relations to a new height, he said.
Responding to a question, Momen said there has been discussion on the Global Development Initiative (GDI) but no talks on Global Security Initiative (GSI), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or new Chinese loans.
Bangladesh reiterates its firm adherence to ‘One China’ policy
Bangladesh has reiterated her firm adherence to ‘One China’ policy and urged the parties concerned to resolve their differences in accordance with the UN Charter and through dialogue.
“We hope it will not further aggravate…the world can’t afford to have another crisis,” said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Thursday, adding that the world is going through enough crises.
Bangladesh has urged all parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from any actions that may aggravate tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Bangladesh is closely following the developments in the Taiwan Strait, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read: Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, China’s blockade and what next?