Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to attend the 18th G20 Summit which will take place in New Delhi on September 9-10 this year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited her Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina to attend the Summit. India, which holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, has invited Bangladesh as a “guest country” in its all meetings, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reports at a weekly briefing on Thursday. Bangladesh sees its series of engagements with the Group of Twenty (G20) under India’s Presidency this year as a “big honour” for the country. “We will raise our issues there. It is a big honour for us. We should be prudent,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently, noting that Bangladesh is the only South Asian country invited by the host. The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, which plays an “important role” in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. India has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India. Apart from the G20 leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Oman Head of State Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been invited to the G20 Summit. Meanwhile, Momen will attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on March 1-2. Hasina paid a state visit to India from September 5 to 8 last year at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Read more: Being invited to G20 Summit is a big honour for Bangladesh, says Momen Ahead of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s visits, Vinay Kwatra will be in Dhaka in the third week of February to have bilateral talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen, said a diplomatic source. Kwatra assumed charge as foreign secretary on May 1 last year.  The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and United States and the European Union. The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.    

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is likely to attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi during March 1-2. India, holding G20 presidency, has invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India. Under its presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country this year. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited to attend the 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit which will take place during September 9-10 this year in New Delhi. Hasina paid a state visit to India from September 5 to 8 last year at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Read more: FM to visit UAE from Feb 10-13 to attend series of events Apart from the G20 leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Oman Head of State  Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been invited to the G20 Summit.  Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra is likely to be in Dhaka in the third week of February to have bilateral talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen, said a diplomatic source. Kwatra assumed charge as foreign secretary on May 1 last year.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Wednesday said killings in a number of points along the long Bangladesh-India border came down to zero level in recent years though problems remain in some points like Lalmonirhat. "We hope it will come down to zero level (in all points)," he said while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion, acknowledging that border killing remains an irritant to Bangladesh-India relations. The state minister said there is no lack of willingness on both sides and Bangladesh raised the recent border issues with India through diplomatic channels yesterday (Tuesday). “There is no doubt that this is an irritant to our bilateral ties,” said the State Minister, adding that these incidents embarrassed them and undermine the growing relationship between the countries. The government has conveyed the recent killing of three Bangladeshis by the BSF in separate incidents to the Indian government through diplomatic channels. Read more: Border killings not expected: Shahriar Alam “We did never step back in raising issues in the interest of Bangladesh and its people,” said the State Minister. The State Minister said they see a deviation when it comes to Lalmonirhat and they are trying to understand it. “We will always remain vocal on the issue (border killing).” Even during the recent home minister-level meeting between the two countries in Delhi, both the ministers agreed to take all our efforts to bring down the border killing to zero level, and to stop the use of lethal weapons, he mentioned. “This is also our question: if really there was a situation, which required shooting then why were legs or hands not targeted?” the State Minister questioned. He said there are many achievements brought about by the two countries. Shahriar said there are disruptive forces driven by vested quarters but the two countries will work together to further deepen the relations. Read more: Cattle trader shot dead ‘by BSF’ along Lalmonirhat border He also talked about the role of the media in fighting the misinformation. Earlier, leaders of Bangladesh emphasized the importance of effective border management for ensuring a peaceful, stable and crime-free border. Both sides agreed that any death at the border is a matter of concern and directed the concerned border guarding forces to enhance people-oriented measures for ensuring border security and bring down such deaths of civilians to zero. Surjobarta Media and Communication hosted the seminar titled “Indo-Bangla Unique Friendship in Hasina-Modi Regimes: Role of Media” where bilateral issues including water sharing, border killing, trade and investment and role of media in strengthening the ties were discussed. President of South Asian Forum Against Religious Fundamentalism Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, acting Editor of Daily Samakal Mozammel Hossain Monju, Joint Editor of Daily Prothom Alo Sohrab Hassan, BSS Chief News Editor Samir Kanti Baarua, journalist Dr Ayanjit Sen, Chief Reporter of Daily Desh Rupantar Ummul Wara and Surjobarta Editor Sumi Khan also spoke at the seminar chaired by Prof Omer Selim Sher.

With the G7 price ceiling on Russian crude oil at USD 60 per barrel taking effect, India on Monday (December 05, 2022) vehemently defended its acquisition of crude oil from Russia during the ongoing Ukraine war – claiming that New Delhi’s purchase was just one-sixth of the European buy in the previous nine months. At a press conference following lengthy discussions with the visiting German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Europe cannot decide to put its energy needs first while requesting New Delhi to take another action, claiming that talks between India and Russia to increase trade began long before the war in Ukraine, NDTV reports. Jaishankar said: “I understand that there is a conflict situation (in Ukraine). I also understand that Europe has a point of view and Europe will make the choices it will make that is Europe’s right. But for Europe to make choices which prioritises its energy needs and then ask India to do something else…” Read: Russian oil shipments to central Europe expected to resume Jaishankar also said that pressure on pricing is also being exerted by Europe’s purchases of Middle Eastern crude oil. The Indian foreign minister commented, “And bear in mind, today, Europe is buying a lot (of crude oil) from the Middle-East. The Middle-East was traditionally a supplier for an economy like India. So it puts pressure on prices in the Middle-East as well. We have been very very understanding of the European choices and European policies.” He was quoted by NDTV as saying: “I think first we need to establish the facts very clearly. Between February 24 and November 17, the European Union has imported more fossil fuel from Russia than the next 10 countries combined. The oil import in the European Union is like six times what India has imported. Gas is infinite because we do not import it while the European Union imported 50 billions Euros worth (of gas).” Read: Bangladesh may prefer to import Russian oil via third country While pledging to further cooperate in the areas of defence and security, commerce, climate change, and renewable energy, the two foreign ministers also signed a bilateral mobility agreement that would make it simpler for individuals to study and work in each other’s countries. The German foreign minister stated at the joint news conference that China has changed significantly in recent years and “the whole region can see this and feel this”, in reference to the country’s “growing aggressiveness”. Baerbock, who was in India for a two-day visit, also promised to shorten the wait time for visas. The talks also touched on Pakistani cross-border terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan, and developments in the Indo-Pacific, according to the NDTV report. Read: Fuel import from India through pipeline to start from 2023: PM Russian oil imports into India have significantly increased during the past few months. According to New Delhi, it is its essential responsibility to make sure that Indian consumers have the greatest possible access to the worldwide markets on the most favourable conditions.

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Monday celebrated the Armed Forces Day, vowing to uphold the image of Bangladesh Armed Forces and boost the country's positive image across the world. To celebrate the day, Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich, director general of Military Intelligence of the Indian Army was the chief guest at the programme. Many war veterans of the Indian Armed Forces, diplomats of different countries and most of the defence advisers or attaches residing in Delhi attended the event. Read more: PM Hasina hails the Armed Forces for standing by the people : PM Lieutenant General Tarun laid a floral wreath to the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and paid homage to all martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971. The national anthems of both countries were played. Also, a video clip on the contribution of the Bangladesh Armed Forces was played. Brigadier General Md Abul Kalam Azad, defence adviser at the Bangladesh mission, delivered the welcome speech. He highlighted the progression of defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, as well as the advancement of Bangladesh Armed Forces at home and in the international arena. Md Mustafizur Rahman, the high commissioner of Bangladesh to India, highlighted the strong diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries. Lieutenant General Tarun stressed the deep connection between the two armed forces, assuring to elevate the defence cooperation to a newer height. Read more: Armed Forces Day: President pays tributes to martyrs  

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who is now in India's New Delhi to attend an international ministerial conference on how to deal with terror financing, including legitimate and illegitimate funding routes, met his India counterpart Amit Shah on the sidelines of the event Friday. They discussed border management and common security-related issues, Public Security Division Senior Information Officer Md Sharif Mahmud Apu, who is part of the three-member Bangladesh delegation. India's Union Home Minister Amit said his country will provide all possible assistance to Bangladesh in repatriating the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (Rohingya), Sharif added. The third ministerial "No Money for Terror" conference, organised by the Indian government in New Delhi on Friday and Saturday, is being attended by representatives of 76 countries to discuss terrorist financing and related issues. Home ministers of about 20 countries, including Russia, France, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore are participating in the event. The topic for Bangladesh in the programme is terror financing through money transfer service schemes and hundi networks. Read more: Home minister in New Delhi to join international conference on terror financing  

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan arrived in India's New Delhi Thursday to attend an international ministerial conference on how to deal with terror financing, including legitimate and illegitimate funding routes. The third ministerial "No Money for Terror" conference, organised by the Indian government in New Delhi on Friday and Saturday, will be attended by representatives of 76 countries to discuss terrorist financing and related issues. Home ministers of about 20 countries including Russia, France, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore are expected to participate in the event. Asaduzzaman is leading a three-member Bangladesh delegation. Other members of the delegation are Public Security Division Joint Secretary Abu Hena Mustafa Zaman and its Senior Information Officer Md Sharif Mahmud Apu. Read more: “No single nation can address evolving tech-based crimes on its own” The ministerial conference aims to progress the discussions on combating terrorist financing held by the international community in the previous two Conferences in Paris (2018) and Melbourne (2019). "It also intends to include discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperation aspects of all facets of terrorism financing. It attempts to also set the pace for other high-level official and political deliberations, focused on countering terrorist financing," the Indian home ministry said. "Discussions at the conference will focus on global trends in terrorism and terrorist financing, the use of formal and informal channels of funds for terrorism, emerging technologies in the context of terrorist financing and requisite international cooperation to address related challenges," it added. Read more: IBBL holds workshop on Prevention of Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing The topic for Bangladesh in the programme is terror financing through money transfer service schemes and hundi networks. Asaduzzaman is scheduled to return to Dhaka on Sunday.  

The government has extended the contractual appointment of Shaban Mahmood for two more years as minister (press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. His two-year appointment will be effective from November 22 or the date of his joining as part of the continuation of the current appointment. Read more: Journalist Shaban Mahmood new minister (press) in Delhi The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification on his re-appointment on Wednesday. Shaban Mahmood, former special correspondent of daily Bangladesh Pratidin, was appointed as minister (press) in November 2022.  

The 5-day director general (DG) level border conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BSF) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) ended here at BGB headquarters renewing the consensus in bringing down the border killings to zero level. The conference, which began on July 17, ended today (Thursday) with signing a Joint Record of Discussion (JRD). DG BGB Major General Shakil Ahmed was leading 20-member Bangladesh delegation, while his counterpart DG BSF Shri Pankaj Kumar Singh led a 9-member Indian delegation at the talks. Both sides agreed to bring down the killing, injuring and beating unarmed nationals of both countries to zero by adopting extra precautionary measures along the border, such as, increasing Coordinated Patrols specially during the latter part of Night until morning. Also read: BGB-BSF DG-level border conference begins in Dhaka Both sides also agreed to undertake joint efforts to bring down the number of incidents of assault and border crime by intensifying various initiatives like public awareness programmes, undertaking appropriate socio-economic developmental programmes in vulnerable areas, educating border population about the sanctity of IB (international Border) and also agreed to preventing criminals and inhabitants from crossing the IB. Briefing reporters at the BGB headquarters after signing the JRD, BGB DG Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed said that they have both agreed to bring down the border killings to zero with the joint initiatives of the two countries. The BGB chief also said that the issue of border killings was discussed in the meeting very seriously and "we agreed that both sides not only will reduce border killings, but reduce the incidents to zero level." He said the two sides openly discussed all issues related to the border including killings at the border. "We have agreed on everything," he said. Also read: BGB, BGP to work together to step up border security When asked why casualties are not stopped despite agreement reached every year BSF chief Pankaj Kumar Singh said, "we hear the same question every year. Our relationship with Bangladesh is very different and different from western countries. We are constantly discussing the border issue at various levels." Criminals are in both countries. Both countries have good and bad people. The improvement in border killing situation was good last year. This year is getting better. There are good and bad people in every society of the two countries, the DG BSF added. Claiming that relationship between the two border forces are better than before, he also said that the BSF have started using non-lethal weapons to reduce border killings. Meanwhile, the conference highlighted the importance of Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) in curbing the menace of smuggling contrabands, such as, various narcotics (especially Yaba), fire arms, FICN, gold etc and both sides agreed to remain cautious and steadfast to stop smuggling through sharing of real time information and also agreed to active anti-smuggling efforts through optimum involvement and pursuance. To enhance mutual understanding and bi-lateral relation between the two friendly forces both sides agreed to resume all activities under the framework of CBMP (Coordinated Border Management Plan) as the COVID situation improves gradually. Finally, both sides agreed to reflect the commitment and decision of the conference at the ground level in true spirit to maintain the peace and tranquility at the border.

Authorities in New Delhi stopped a demolition drive in a Muslim-dominated neighborhood after hundreds of residents and a number of opposition party workers gathered in protest Monday. No buildings were razed down before the bulldozers retreated. Anti-Muslim sentiment and attacks have risen across India in the past month, including stone throwing between Hindu and Muslim groups during religious processions, followed by demolition drives in a few states where many Muslim-owned properties were razed down by local authorities. Also read: India’s Muslims mark Eid ul-Fitr amid community violence This was most recently seen last month in a northwest neighborhood in New Delhi where bulldozers destroyed several Muslim properties before the Supreme Court halted the drive. The demolitions were carried out days after communal violence there left several injured and sparked arrests. Amid heavy police presence Monday, bulldozers arrived in Shaheen Bagh, a neighborhood that in 2020 became a site of intense protest after the Parliament passed a controversial bill the previous year that amended the country's citizenship law. The new law would fast-track naturalization for persecuted religious minorities from some neighboring Islamic countries, but excludes Muslims, sparking many to call it discriminatory. It unleashed months of demonstrations from across India and Shaheen Bagh quickly became a symbol of the resistance, with the protests there led by a peaceful sit-in by Muslim women along a highway that passed through the neighborhood. Officials have said these demolition drives target illegal buildings and not any particular religious group. But critics argue such moves are the latest attempt to harass and marginalize Muslims, who are 14% of India’s 1.4 billion population, and point to a pattern of rising religious polarization under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. As the bulldozers drove away, Mohammed Niyaz, a 47-year-old resident in the neighborhood, called it “vote-bank politics” intended to divide the Hindu and Muslim communities. Also read: Extreme heatwave batters millions in India, Pakistan Residents in Shaheen Bagh also questioned the timing of the move to bring in bulldozers, saying many buildings in the neighborhood have existed for decades with no interference from local authorities. Previously, officials termed the recent demolition drives as “routine exercises” to bring down illegal properties.