Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said there is ‘no issue of removal’ regarding Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin but his responsibility will be changed as he desires to leave the current role.
“Actually, there is no issue of removal. He (FS) wants to leave this responsibility for various reasons. He is in the service. The responsibility will change. He will leave his current responsibility within the next couple of days,” Adviser Hossain told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked about the appointment of the new Foreign Secretary, the Foreign Adviser said, “You will know this within the next couple of days.”
In April, the government appointed Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, who served as the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices in Geneva and Ambassador of Bangladesh to Switzerland, as the special assistant to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. However, he is yet to join.
Asked about the status of Sufiur, Adviser Hossain said, “He is yet to join. He will join or not when the government decides.”
He also said further discussion is underway on relevant issues.
Ambassador Siam Likely Next FS
Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Asad Alam Siam is likely to be the next Foreign Secretary of the country. There will be an acting Foreign Secretary until appointment of the new FS.
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"There was a proposed list of three candidates," a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB on Tuesday, noting that Ambassador Siam is chosen as the senior most of the three candidates.
If there is no further change in the decision of the government, Ambassador Siam will replace current Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Switzerland Tareq Md Ariful Islam was also there in the list of three proposed names.
In September last year, the government appointed Jashim Uddin as the 27th Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh.
A career diplomat, Jashim joined Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1994.
Jashim, from the 13th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre, served extensively both at home and abroad.
Ambassador Siam joined the diplomatic service in 1995. He joined the Bangladesh Embassy in the USA in December 2024.
A graduate in Architecture from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Ambassador Siam did his MBA from Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands.
Ambassador Siam attended different professional courses at SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu; APCSS, Hawaii; IFANS, Seoul; National Defence College, Dhaka.
He was a guest lecturer in different training institutions in Bangladesh.
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In his long diplomatic career, Ambassador Siam served as Director in the Offices of Foreign Minister, Foreign Secretary; Director General in Europe and EU wing; Chief of Protocol, Rector of the Foreign Service Academy and Inspector General of Missions in the Foreign Ministry.
Overseas, he served in Bangladesh Missions in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Manchester.
He was Bangladesh's first Consul General in Milan, Italy; and Bangladesh's Ambassador to the Philippines, Palau, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.
He participated in various bilateral, regional and multilateral negotiations representing Bangladesh.
He served as Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN Offices in Vienna and to the OPEC Fund.
He was also Bangladesh’s Alternate Permanent Representative to the UNESCAP in Bangkok.
He served as Governor in the Board of Governors of IAEA, Vice Chair at the 67th Commission on Narcotic and Drugs in UNODC, in the Board of Governors of the Colombo Plan Staff College, Manila both as a Chair and a Governor.
There was a speculation that the Foreign Secretary would be replaced, but there is no official announcement yet.