Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud
Foreign Minister sees progress in efforts to free hijacked ship, crew members
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday (March 28, 2024) said that there has been progress in the government’s efforts to free the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean along with 23 sailors on board.
“Our aim is to rescue the sailors unharmed and at the same time rescue the ship. I just want to say that we have advanced much,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
Govt trying to free the hijacked ship and bring back crew members safely as soon as possible: Foreign Minister
Hasan Mahmud said they are in contact and are making multifaceted efforts to rescue the crew members.
Pirates make maiden contact with MV Abdullah’s owner
Regarding the reported food shortage on the ship, he said food shortage has never happened in the past when ships have been hijacked. “Hopefully it won’t happen in this case either.”
After 9 days of taking the Bangladeshi ship and holding 23 sailors hostage, Somali pirates contacted the owners.
Owner of hijacked vessel MV Abdullah doesn’t want armed operation
Bangladesh to provide 190 acres of land in Kurigram for Bhutanese investors; discussion to import hydropower underway
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh will allocate 190 acres of land in Kurigram for a special economic zone for Bhutanese investors.
He said Bangladesh wants to import hydropower from Bhutan and a tripartite agreement is required to bring the electricity through India.
"We are in discussion to that end," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
He said Bhutan has a potential of producing 25,000 megawatts of hydropower.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh will also import hydropower from Nepal and things are settled regarding that initiative.
Hasan said Bangladesh will construct a Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit in Thimphu as a goodwill gesture which also demonstrates the country’s capacity.
He also briefed about the visit of the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Three new MoUs will be signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan while another MoU on cultural exchange will be renewed, said the Foreign Minister.
The new MoUs will be on establishing a Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit in Thimphu, Specialized Economic Zone in Kurigram and technological cooperation consumers’ rights protection.
The King, along with Bhutanese Foreign, Health, Industry and Commerce Ministers and the Bhutanese Queen, is scheduled to arrive on Monday morning on a four-day visit demonstrating the strong relations that Bangladesh and Bhutan have developed steadily since 1971.
"We have multifaceted relations with Bhutan," Minister Hasan said, adding that there is scope for boosting trade through transit and signing preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the First Lady will receive the King amid gun salute and guard of honour.
The King is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10 am on Monday by a special flight, a senior official told UNB.
This is going to be the first VVIP visit to Bangladesh after the formation of new government following January 7 national election.
After the ceremony at the airport, he will go to Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On Monday afternoon, the Bhutanese King will have a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office. They will have a one-to-one meeting.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud will meet the King at his place of residence the same day before the meeting with the Prime Minister.
On Tuesday, the King will visit the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar.
The King will also visit Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
He will visit Bangabhaban where he will be received by the president and the first lady.
The King will have a meeting with the president at 4:30 pm on Tuesday.
The president will host iftar and dinner in honour of the visiting royal.
On Wednesday morning, the Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and selected Bhutanese delegation members will leave Bangladesh for Bhutan by a special flight.
Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Rehana and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will see them off at the airport.
The Bhutanese King will visit Padma Bridge and Bangladesh Special Economic Zone in Araihazar, Narayanganj.
On Thursday, the King will visit Kurigram Special Economic Zone.
He will leave Bangladesh territory for Golakganj, Assam via Sonahat Land Port on Thursday afternoon.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for shipping, will see him off there.
The 4th King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, sent a letter of congratulations to the prime minister recently saying under her dynamic and strong leadership, Bangladesh has enjoyed peace, stability and unprecedented economic development.
He also termed Bhutan as a "close friend" and rejoiced with the people of Bangladesh on this occasion.
Bhutan was the first country to recognise the newly independent Bangladesh on December 6 in 1971 when the 3rd King of Bhutan sent a message of recognition by telegram.
Since then Bangladesh and Bhutan share a special multidimensional bilateral relationship. Immediately after the independence, the Bhutanese government took initiative to establish diplomatic relations with Bangladesh and, consequently, formal diplomatic relations was established on 12 April 1973.
Foreign Minister requests visiting Irish Minister to ease the visa process
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has invited Irish investment in Bangladesh, particularly in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and IT sectors.
He also thanked Ireland for hosting a few thousand Bangladeshis and requested the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney to ease the visa process to enable more Bangladeshi students and IT professionals to pursue higher studies and work in Ireland.
The Foreign Minister thanked the Irish Minister for visiting Bangladesh to further strengthen Bangladesh-Ireland bilateral relations.
He suggested further enhancement of bilateral trade in goods and services through new initiatives and sought Ireland’s support for EU’s EBA trade preferences to Bangladesh until 2032 and GSP+ benefits beyond 2032.
Minister Simon Coveney met with the Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 18.
Foreign Minister requests visiting Irish Minister to ease the visa process
The Irish Minister congratulated the Foreign Minister on his new appointment.
Highly praising Bangladesh’s sustained high economic growth, he suggested exchange of visits of delegations with special focus on bilateral trade and collaboration in the areas of technology, pharmaceuticals and energy.
He also assured Irish support in favour of Bangladesh’s appeal for extension of EBA facilities until 2032 and GSP+ facilities beyond 2032.
Referring to the migrant-friendly policy of the Irish government, the Irish Minister welcomed more Bangladeshi students and professionals to Ireland.
The Irish Minister hoped for an early solution of the Rohingya crisis and added that an additional Euro 1.5 million humanitarian assistance would be provided to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
The two ministers shared their views on the war in Gaza and expressed deep concern over the killing of people, particularly women and children.
They agreed that the two-state solution can bring lasting peace in the region.
Earlier, the Irish Minister officially opened Ireland’s first Honorary Consulate in Dhaka, which is seen as an “important milestone” in the relations between Bangladesh and Ireland.
In its desire to further expand the bilateral relations with Dhaka, Ireland has recently appointed Cosmos Group Deputy Managing Director Masud Jamil Khan as its Honorary Consul in Bangladesh.
Ambassador of Ireland to India, Kevin Kelly, and Masud Jamil Khan, among others, were present during the opening ceremony.
The Irish Minister arrived in Dhaka on Sunday on a two-day official visit aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment.
FM thanks Ireland for opening its Honorary Consulate in Dhaka
On the occasion of St Patrick’s Day, the National Day of Ireland and official opening of the Honorary Consulate of Ireland in Bangladesh, Masud Jamil Khan and Kate Khan hosted an Iftar-dinner at a Dhaka hotel on Monday.
The Irish Minister, Irish Ambassador to India, former Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, diplomats stationed in Dhaka, senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, business leaders and journalists were present at the event.
PM Hasina writes back to Biden
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has written back to US President Joe Biden.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud handed over a copy of the letter to Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia, US National Security Council (NSC), Eileen Laubacher on Sunday.
It is a response to the letter sent by the US President to the Bangladesh Prime Minister.
Bangladesh Ambassador to USA, Muhammad Imran, will hand over the original copy of the letter to White House.
The Foreign Minister has said that they want a new chapter of relations with Bangladesh.
“We want to begin a new chapter of relations with them,” he said, adding that the nations will benefit through strengthening the relations.
Eileen Laubacher led an inter-agency US delegation during her meeting with Foreign Minister Hasan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Read: PM's daughter Putul thanks Joe Biden for 'warm hospitality'
The USAID’s Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia Michael Schiffer, the US Department of States Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Afreen Akhter, and CDA of the US Embassy in Dhaka Helen LaFave were present at the meeting.
Besides, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US Muhammad Imran and Director General of Foreign Ministry’s North America Wing Khandker Masudul Alam and other officials from the ministry were present.
The discussions centred around exploring new avenues to deepening the existing relationship. Economic cooperation, trade and investment, Rohingya humanitarian response, climate change, and energy were in focus during the meeting.
The Foreign Minister reiterated Bangladesh’s steadfast position in favour of peace and against any form of war.
He asked for US to use its leverage to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Read: PM Hasina greets new US President Joe Biden
Hasan also hoped for the Russia-Ukraine war to end.
The extradition of Bangabandhu’s self-confessed killer Rashed Chowdhury from the US was also discussed.
He also asked for the withdrawal of the US sanction on RAB.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing his willingness to work together to achieve Bangladesh’s economic goals. He also expressed willingness to partnering with Bangladesh on the shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
As the two countries embark on the next chapter of the US-Bangladesh partnership, Biden said he wants to convey the sincere desire of his administration to continue their work together on regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian support, especially for Rohingya refugees, and more.
Read more: Fakhrul showers praises on Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
“We have a long and successful history of working together to solve problems, and our strong people-to-people ties are the foundation of this relationship,” the US President wrote to PM Sheikh Hasina.
US rules out notion of not recognising Hasina government
The United States has ruled out any perception that it does not recognise Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s fourth straight term.
At a regular briefing at the US Department of State on January 18, a journalist asked, “So, when you say that the election results in Bangladesh were not credible, free, or fair, does this imply that the US will not recognize Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s fourth straight term?”‘
In reply, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “No, no.”
US wants to see the election carried out peacefully: State Dept Spokesperson
Miller said they are now encouraging the government of Bangladesh to credibly and transparently investigate the reports of violence, to hold perpetrators accountable.
“We urge all parties to reject political violence,” he said.
Miller said the US remains concerned by the arrest of political opposition members and by the reports of irregularities on election day.
US wants to see the election carried out peacefully: State Dept Spokesperson
“We regret that not all parties participated, and we condemn the violence that took place during elections and in the months leading up to it,” he said.
On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas had a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and discussed how the two countries would work together on issues of mutual importance such as climate change, business opportunities and the Rohingya crisis.
“I look forward to working closely in the coming months to advance our relations based on mutual interest,” Haas said.
Free, fair and peaceful’ election continues to be the focus of US’ engagement with Bangladesh govt: State Dept Spokesperson
First bilateral visit: Hasan Mahmud to visit Delhi on Feb 7, strengthening relations on agenda
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud is scheduled to leave for New Delhi, India on February 7 – the first bilateral visit by the minister after his appointment – to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations.
“It’s likely to be a three-day visit,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (January 18, 2024), noting that the agenda of the visit is yet to be finalised.
The Foreign Minister said he will be visiting the country at the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
Asked whether he will have a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, Mahmud said, “It is too early to say.”
Read more: FM to lead Bangladesh delegation at 19th NAM Summit in Uganda
Jaishankar, earlier, invited his Bangladesh counterpart Dr Hasan Mahmud to visit New Delhi at a mutually convenient time.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma extended the invitation on behalf of the Indian External Affairs Minister on Monday.
The Foreign Minister accepted the invitation and told him that he would visit Delhi soon.
Mahmud was scheduled to embark on a multilateral tour to Uganda last night. After two hours, he came to know that the flight will not depart due to fog and poor visibility. The Foreign Minister was scheduled to hold a meeting on the sidelines of NAM Summit today.
The meeting with the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka marked Hasan Mahmud’s first diplomatic engagement since assuming the office of foreign minister.
He noted the successful holding of the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on January 7, which was free, fair and participatory, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also noted that international elections observers and media who visited Dhaka to cover elections expressed their satisfaction over the election process.
Read more: FM seeks EU's trade concessions until 2032 for Bangladesh’s graduation
Dhaka, Washington agree to deepen ties to expand trade, strengthen anti-militancy efforts
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said Bangladesh has agreed to deepen ties with the United States through expansion of trade and strengthening efforts to combat “militancy and fanaticism.”
"We have expressed our commitment to work together," he told reporters after his separate meetings with US Ambassador Peter Haas and European Union Ambassador Charles Whiteley at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Minister said the rise of fanaticism is a problem worldwide.
Responding to a question, he also said there has been exploration of oil offshore.
Bangladesh, China discuss promoting FTA negotiation and attracting investment
The Foreign Minister said there are oil reserves as discovered by a US company.
He said Bangladesh and the US have cooperation in the defence area and they have discussed the issue.
The Foreign Minister said he has discussed the Rohingya repatriation issue with both the ambassadors.
He said Bangladesh wants Rohingyas to return to their homeland with full rights.
EU to start negotiations on Partnership Cooperation Agreement very soon, says Charles Whiteley
Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh is now hosting around 15 lakh Rohingyas, and the number is growing . "It's a burden for us."
Talking to reporters, US Ambassador Peter Haas said he looks forward to working closely with Bangladesh in the coming months on issues of mutual importance.
He mentioned climate change, expanding business opportunities, and other areas of cooperation to advance the relations.
"I look forward to working very closely in the coming months to advance our mutual interest," said Ambassador Haas.
Referring to the meeting with the Foreign Minister, he said it was an opportunity to talk about the future of the US-Bangladesh relationship.
Lavrov to Hasan Mahmud: Russia-Bangladesh ties based on solid foundation of friendship
Regarding his meeting with EU Ambassador Whiteley, the Foreign Minister said they discussed the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA) so that both sides can reach a fruitful position through negotiations.
EU to start negotiations on Partnership Cooperation Agreement very soon, says Charles Whiteley
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley, on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said they are going to start negotiations on the Partnership Cooperation Agreement very soon which he sees as a new generation agreement involving wide-ranging issues.
Ferry driver missing after it capsizes with vehicles in Padma River
“We had a very fruitful and dynamic discussion,” he told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Whiteley said they discussed ways to take the Bangladesh-EU partnership forward.
ADB President to PM Hasina: 'Under your leadership in last 15 years, Bangladesh made extraordinary progress in all areas of development'
Peter Haas says he looks forward to working closely with Bangladesh
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said he looks forward to working closely with Bangladesh in the coming months on issues of mutual importance.
He mentioned climate change, expanding business opportunities, and other areas of cooperation to advance the relations.
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"I look forward to working very closely in the coming months to advance our mutual interest," he told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said it was an opportunity to talk about the future of the US-Bangladesh relationship.
Later, the Foreign Minister met EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley.
Read more: Lavrov to Hasan Mahmud: Russia-Bangladesh ties based on solid foundation of friendship
Peter Haas, Charles Whiteley to meet Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud today
Amid continuous greetings from Bangladesh's international friends and partners to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her re-election, ambassadors of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) are set to meet Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today (January 17, 2024) at his office.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, who was criticised in the political arena before the January 7 national election, will meet the foreign minister at 12 pm today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Later, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley will meet Minister Hasan Mahmud at 1 pm, according to the minister’s programme schedule.
Peter Haas to spend Christmas with family in India
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed her new cabinet on January 11 with a combination of new and old faces.
Even though the United States concluded that the election was not “free or fair,” it voiced commitment to work with Bangladesh.
The US ambassador also attended the oath-taking ceremony held at Bangabhaban recently.
“Looking ahead, the United States remains committed to partnering with Bangladesh to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, to supporting human rights and civil society in Bangladesh, and to deepening our people-to-people and economic ties,” said US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller a day after the election.
The European Union (EU) said it will continue to work with the government of Bangladesh on the priorities that characterise their longstanding relations in the political, human rights, trade and development spheres including the country’s possible future access to the GSP+ preferential trade scheme.
Labour rights critical to growth and sustainability of Bangladesh’s RMG sector: Peter Haas
"The EU strongly encourages all stakeholders to respect political pluralism, democratic values and international human rights standards and to engage in peaceful dialogue," said High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles in a statement on behalf of the EU.
It is essential that the media, civil society and political parties can carry out their work without censorship or fear of reprisals, said the EU.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met the foreign minister on Monday.He was the first foreign envoy to meet the foreign minister after formation of the new Cabinet.
Ruling out any external pressure, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh will stick to its foreign policy principle – “friendship to all, malice towards none” – against the backdrop of a divided world.
US Ambassador Peter Haas holding meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen
“All the countries in the East and the West have expressed their willingness to work with us, with the government. At the end of the day, they are our development partners and we will work together,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Minister is scheduled to leave for Uganda on Wednesday night to attend the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).