Foreign-Affairs
Mission in Poland urges Bangladeshis in Ukraine to get in touch urgently
The Bangladesh Embassy in Poland has urged Bangladeshis in Ukraine to communicate with it as soon as possible.
The mission issued the latest urgent advisory Friday amid the worsening security situation in Ukraine.
Earlier, Indian nationals had also been advised against travelling to Ukraine.
Indian citizens, including students, had been advised to leave Ukraine at the earliest by available means.
It is not known yet how many Bangladeshis are still staying in Ukraine.
PM’s foresight stands Bangladesh in good stead amid global crisis: Momen
People in rural Bangladesh have some money in their pockets now even amid the global crisis because of the special policies of Sheikh Hasina, including the social safety net programme, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said Friday.
"She has been providing funds even to the poorest of the poor. And it's being done through Digital Bangladesh. These poor people get money directly," he added.
Momen was speaking at the programme "The Mind Behind the Miracle: Sheikh Hasina Leads Developments" organised by Bangladesh Awami League’s international affairs sub-committee at a city hotel where diplomats of different countries stationed in Dhaka were also present.
Sheikh Hasina decided that no one in Bangladesh would remain homeless, the foreign minister said.
"When she came to power in 2009, she decided to provide a subsidy of Tk 72 per bag of fertiliser. She also lowered the price of seeds," he continued.
“Many of her advisors were upset because they said you cannot provide that much subsidy. But she said 'if I provide the farmers with all the essential inputs – water, electricity, seed, fertiliser – at affordable prices on time, Bangladesh will no longer be known as a food deficient country."
Also, Momen said, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not like it. “The IMF stopped our special drawing rights (SDRs) for almost one year. We told the IMF that the US and the EU always provide subsidies to the agricultural sector," he added.
But Sheikh Hasina ignored it and provided subsidies to the agricultural sector, and her decision helped the growth of the agriculture sector of Bangladesh, Momen said.
“Bangladesh, once known as a bottomless basket, with no hope of survival, is now a vibrant economy and a land of opportunities,” he said, attributing it to the prime minister.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader spoke at the programme as the chief guest.
Chairman of the party's international affairs subcommittee and former ambassador Muhammad Zamir, Awami League international affairs Secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed, among others, spoke at the programme.
Indian High Commission in Dhaka welcomes back Bangladesh Youth Delegation
Indian High Commission in Dhaka welcomed the Bangladesh Youth Delegation members who returned home Thursday from India.
The High Commission hosted a feedback reception for the Bangladesh Youth Delegation 2022 delegates. The delegates shared valuable experiences of their visit to India.
The Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Binoy George and senior officials were present.
On October 12, a 100-member Bangladesh youth delegation embarked on an eight-day visit to India.
The High Commission of India in Dhaka organised a flag-off ceremony for the delegation members on October 11.
The Bangladesh Youth Delegation this year had a mix of professionals from all walks of life and included participants from all over Bangladesh.
Read: AKDN, Indian High Commission discuss collaboration in education sector in Bangladesh
Libya seeks joint commission with Bangladesh to expand cooperation
Libya has suggested forming a joint commission with Bangladesh to identify major areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Newly appointed Libyan Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdulmutalib S M Suliman put forward the suggestion when he met Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the latter's office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
Momen underlined the importance of continued cooperation in different sectors of mutual interest including promotion of trade and investment between Bangladesh and Libya.
He also highlighted the importance of more contacts between the business people and chamber officials.
Read: Detained Bangladeshis in Libya to be brought back: FM
No good news yet from Chinese side on Rohingya repatriation: Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said the Chinese side is yet to come up with any good news on the Rohingya repatriation but they are continuing their efforts to that end.
“He (Chinese envoy) is yet to give any good news,” Momen told reporters after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming.
The hour-long meeting was held at the State guesthouse Padma while the Foreign Minister briefed the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read: Myanmar’s military govt ‘willing to take back Rohingyas’ after verification: Momen
Momen said he gave reminder to the Chinese ambassador regarding Bangladesh’s expectations, noting that much time has passed and Dhaka keeps expecting that repatriation will start soon.
Momen said that no date has been fixed for the commencement of Rohingya repatriation.
The current Myanmar government “honours” all the previous agreements signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar and expressed willingness to take back the Rohingyas after verification.
He said the Myanmar side is still saying they will provide safety and security to the Rohingyas and will create a conducive environment.
“Let’s see! From the Myanmar side, there is a lack of willingness,” he said.
Talking about complications, the foreign minister said the Rohingyas mostly entered Bangladesh without any documents as they were persecuted.
Now the Myanmar government is giving emphasis on Myanmar-origin documents, Momen said, adding that, “It’s a big problem.”
Regarding verification, he said though the Myanmar side approved few of the Rohingyas after verification the problem is that they isolated one from another while making the list. “If you take, you need to take the whole family. Otherwise it will not be sustainable if you divide a family.”
Momen said the Myanmar side needs to forgo seeking documents if they really want to take back their nationals.
Read: Momen seeks Kuwaiti, Iranian support on Rohingya issue
"My discussion (with the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh) focused on Myanmar and the Rohingya issues. We think China maintains good relations with Myanmar," he said.
Momen said the Chinese side is trying to help find a solution. “They (China) are the facilitator, not the decision maker. We are requesting them again and again.”
Bangladesh, Myanmar and China agreed to work together for starting repatriation of the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar under a tripartite mechanism.
The idea of a tripartite mechanism among Bangladesh, China and Myanmar came four years ago in New York — to evaluate the situation on the ground and take steps for the early repatriation and there had been few meetings.
Govt cancels contract of former Bangladesh Ambassador to US Shahidul
The government has cancelled the contractual appointment of Md Shahidul Islam as Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA.
The decision came into effect on September 1 this year, Public Administration Ministry in a gazette notification said today.
Read:Myanmar’s military govt ‘willing to take back Rohingyas’ after verification: Momen
The decision was taken considering the application submitted by Shahidul Islam, said the ministry.
Asked about the cancellation of Shahidul’s contract, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said that it was done through a regular process, and there were no allegations against him.
Muhammad Imran, a career foreign service officer belonging to the 1986 batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre, is the current Bangladesh Ambassador to the US.
Shahidul, a foreign service officer from the 1985 batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre, was appointed as Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA on September 3 in 2020.
He served as the Secretary General of BIMSTEC before joining as Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA.
Read:Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC observes ‘Sheikh Russel Day’
He previously served in Bangladesh Missions in Kolkata, Geneva and Washington DC.
He also served as Ambassador of Bangladesh to South Korea and France. At the headquarters, he worked in various capacities including Director General (Americas) and Director General (Europe).
Myanmar’s military govt ‘willing to take back Rohingyas’ after verification: Momen
The current military government of Myanmar has agreed to honour all the previous agreements signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and has conveyed willingness to take back Rohingyas after verification, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said today.
“That’s good news, but there is no specific date (for the repatriation to begin),” Momen said.
The foreign minister also said that the Chinese side is yet come up with good news on Rohingya repatriation but they are continuing their efforts to that end. He was talking to reporters after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming.
Read: Rohingya repatriation: Dhaka may seek updates on Beijing's efforts
“My discussion (with the Chinese ambassador) today focused on Myanmar and the Rohingya issues,” Momen said.
The hour-long meeting was held at the State Guesthouse Padma. The foreign minister briefed media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later.
Momen said, “They (China) are facilitators, not decision-makers. We are requesting them again and again.”
The foreign minister said Rohingyas are a priority issue for Bangladesh. “We need a quick and sustainable solution to the crisis.”
Read: Momen seeks Kuwaiti, Iranian support on Rohingya issue
Responding to a question, Momen said there has been no discussion on the Teesta issue with the Chinese ambassador. “I said this issue was never raised to me.”
Momen said he has conveyed to the ambassador that China should play a role so that Rohingyas living on ‘zero point’ can be taken back to the Myanmar side.
He said the situation along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has improved, which he sees as “good development”.
Momen sees Rohingya repatriation as a “new assignment”.
Read What PM said on Russia-Ukraine war, Rohingya issue, climate action, terrorism at 77th UNGA
Media can play role in deepening Bangladesh-India ties: Speaker
Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said the media can play their roles in promoting the activities that can help further deepen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India.
She urged the journalists of both Bangladesh and India to play constructive role in improving Dhaka-Delhi ties.
“The mass media of both countries can play an important role on how both countries can benefit more. Mass media has a role in promoting the relationship between the two countries”, said the Speaker.
Read:Media coverage should reflect faith communities’ role in achieving SDGs: Experts
The Speaker was speaking at the inaugural session of a seminar titled “Role of Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Prospects” organised by the Jatiya Press Club.
Senior journalists from Bangladesh and India attended the seminar.
Speaker Chaudhury said the two countries have addressed many challenges in the past years, including land and maritime boundaries demarcation.
The two countries signed a number of agreements and MoUs on social, economic, maritime and environmental cooperation, she said.
Indian Journalists’ Union President Geetartha Pathak said Bangladesh and India share common history and culture.
Though the two countries addressed many problems, some issues like water sharing still need to be addressed.
He said as a lower riparian country, Bangladesh has the right to have equal water sharing of the common rivers but that is not being ensured.
Read: PM Hasina addressed India’s security concerns: Mahfuz Anam
Bangladesh faces immense problems due to flooding that the upper riparian countries India, Nepal or Bhutan do not face, he said.
“I hope the journalists of India and Bangladesh can focus on these issues,” he said.
The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, JPC president Farida Yasmin, its general secretary Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) president Sohel Haider Chowdhury, among others, spoke.
PM Hasina addressed India’s security concerns: Mahfuz Anam
Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star newspaper, on Thursday said Bangladesh has showed its commitment towards security issues and credited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for addressing India's security concerns.
"I think this is an ongoing process and Bangladesh has shown its commitment," he said highly appreciating Hasina's leadership on that front.
Mahfuz Anam was speaking at a seminar titled "Role of Media in Bangladesh-India Relations: Challenges and Opportunities" held at Jatiya Press Club on Thursday.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury spoke at the seminar virtually highlighting growing and close relations between the two countries.
The seminar was organised by Jatiya Press Club to mark its 68th founding anniversary.
The Daily Star editor acknowledged the progress made in terms of relations between Bangladesh and India during PM Hasina's tenure.
He, however, said overall water sharing issue remains a big issue, noting that Teesta water sharing treaty remains pending for long.
He also laid emphasis on fair sharing of water.
Also read: BNP protests Mahfuz Anam's article on democracy
He talked about cooperation on the bilateral trade front and the opportunities it holds.
Mahfuz said the relations should be based on a win-win situation.
Apart from regime-based relations, he said the people-based relations can be a sustainable one.
President of Indian Journalists Union (IJU) Geetartha Pathak, JPC President Farida Yasmin, its General Secretary Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Sohel Haider Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the seminar.
The speakers expressed gratitude to the people and the government of India for the vital role they had played during the War of Liberation in 1971.
Bangladesh mission in London marks Sheikh Russel Day
The Bangladesh High Commission in London has observed Sheikh Russel Day marking the 59th birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's youngest son Shaheed Sheikh Russel through a commemorative discussion.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh KM Khalid spoke as the chief guest at the event organised in East London.
High Commissioner for Bangladesh to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem said: "The brutal murder of 10-year-old Sheikh Russell would have been considered a violation under contemporary international humanitarian law as well as the child rights convention and could be a historic reference to prevent the future premeditated killing of children."
The day's programme began with the placing of a floral wreath at the portraits of Bangabandhu and Sheikh Russel by the high commissioner along with the chief guest, special guests, and senior officials of the high commission.
This was followed by special prayers offered in memory of Sheikh Russel and all family members of Bangabandhu.
A documentary on Sheikh Russel by the ICT Division was shown. Also, a colourful cultural programme was performed by British-Bangladeshi children and prominent artist Gouri Chowdhury.