Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen
Bangladesh wants peace, stability everywhere: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said Bangladesh wants to see peace and stability everywhere including in friendly countries like Sri Lanka to keep up the momentum in the country’s economic sector.
“We want stability everywhere. We want our friendly countries get back stability,” he said adding that Bangladesh’s economy largely depends on other countries’ stability.
Also read: No chance of Chinese debt trap: FM
The Foreign Minister made the remarks while talking to a small group of journalists after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Momen said they want peace and stability everywhere as they live in an interdependent world.
Asked about the situation in Sri Lanka, he said, “Let us see what happens. We’re yet to sit to discuss it.”
He again ruled out the fear of debt trap and said there is no such scope. “We’re prudent (while taking loans and its subsequent management). We don’t borrow that much and when we borrow we do it with much calculation.”
Highlighting Bangladesh’s economic strength backed by stronger export growth and remittance inflow, Dr Momen said, “We are capable of (loans) repayment.”
Also read: Religious harmony prevails in Bangladesh: FM
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming also reiterated that there is no debt trap in this country.
The Foreign Minister said they also discussed the Rohingya repatriation issue through a tripartite mechanism.
“We sought their (Chinese) help,” he said, adding that the tripartite process – Bangladesh-Myanmar-China - remains halted for a long time and the repatriation process should start.
Detained Bangladeshis in Libya to be brought back: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said the government would bring back Bangladeshis who were detained by Libyan security forces off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
He said this while responding to a question at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also read: UN says boat capsizes off Libya, 35 dead or presumed dead
Dr Momen, however, did not tell the number though media reported that over 500 Bangladeshis have been detained.
They were detained on Saturday while preparing to cross over to Europe from Libya's capital Tripoli.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Libya Major General SM Shamim Uz Zaman and his team are in touch with the Libyan authorities to rescue all of them.
Also read:Missing Bangladeshi journalist found in Libya after 5 days
Local media – The Libya Observer – tweeted claiming that security forces in Misrata have “arrested” more than 600 Bangladeshi migrants who were preparing to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the EU shores.
Do Momen said many returned after being detained there and laid emphasis on mass awareness to avoid repetition of such incidents.
Delhi’s support sought after US sanctions on Rab, says FM
Foreign Minister DR AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said Bangladesh sought India’s support to withdraw the US sanctions imposed on elite force Rab and individuals.
“We sought their help after the US imposed sanctions on Rab. They’ve been very nice to us. They (Indian side) said they would raise it,” Momen told reporters at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also read:Rab is a brand name for peace, don’t malign it: Shahriar
The Foreign Minister said the Indian community of around 45 lakh members in the United States also requested the government. “They (Indian community in US) are very influential.”
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who is scheduled arrive here on Thursday, visited Washington DC earlier this month.
Regarding law enforcement, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas recently said there is no scope for repeal of sanctions against the Rapid Action Battalion without concrete action and accountability.
“We want to see a RAB that remains effective at combatting terrorism, but that does so while respecting basic human rights,” he said while addressing a seminar in which Minister Momen spoke as the chief guest.
Responding to a question Momen said the US talks about accountability but there is in-built accountability in the Rab. “We do have accountability. That might not reach to them (US).”
Asked whether the US side is convinced on what the Bangladesh side says, he said may be they are not satisfied yet but in the future they will be satisfied.
Also read: RAB's importance to counterterrorism recognised but lifting sanctions to take time: Blinken
Ambassador Haas said RAB sanctions do not mean they cannot enhance the strong law enforcement security cooperation between the two countries.
“We will continue to work with Bangladesh to combat transnational crime and terrorism, enhance border security, and prevent violent extremism,” he said.
The US envoy said the continue our support to Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime police, the Anti-Terrorism Unit, and the specialized units of the Metropolitan Police in Chattogram, Sylhet, and Rajshahi.
Jaishankar might come up with good news, says Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said his Indian counterpart Dr S. Jaishankar might bring good news as he is scheduled to arrive here on Thursday.
“This is good news that he’s coming. May be he’ll bring good news and we’re yet to know what that news is exactly,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when asked about India's External Affairs Minister’s planned visit.
Momen said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is very sweet and they are very happy that Jaishankar is coming to Bangladesh. “We always welcome him. He’ll give us surprise.”
Also read: Momen seeks investment from CICA Member States
Jaishankar will be coming with the formal invitation for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on behalf of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an impending visit to Delhi - likely to be held in the first week of July, a diplomatic source told UNB on Sunday.
He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Bangladesh counterpart Momen during his brief visit.
At the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Modi paid a State Visit to Bangladesh from 26 to 27 March 2021 to join the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh, the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh.
At the invitation of President Abdul Hamid, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind paid a State visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17 last year to attend the 50th Victory Day celebrations here as the guest of honour.
It was the Indian President’s maiden visit to Bangladesh and also his first visit overseas since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The visits symbolised the partnership of half-a-century between India and Bangladesh that has strengthened, matured and evolved as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region.
In an effort to give further impetus to Dhaka-Delhi relations, the two neighboring countries are now planning to have enhanced engagement including preparation for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India at a convenient time this year, officials said.
Minister-Level Talks
Before the Prime Minister’s visit, the next round of Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting will be held in New Delhi, most likely next month.
The JCC will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister Dr Momen and his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar and a date is likely to be finalized during the visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister.
Also read: No proposal made to US to bring BNP to polls: Momen
Momen said there are some meetings that need to be held before the JCC.
Asked about the issues to be discussed in the next JCC, he said Bangladesh will raise all the outstanding issues in the meeting.
Asked about Teesta and border killing issues, he said Bangladesh always raise these issues and will reiterate those.
The sixth meeting of the JCC was held on September 29, 2020. Although Dhaka was scheduled to host the meeting, due to the COVID-19 situation the meeting was held on virtual platform.
Bangladesh, Norway keen to broaden economic partnership
Bangladesh and Norway have expressed interest in broadening economic partnership through trade, investment and maritime sector cooperation.
The two countries also discussed in particular the potentials for investments in offshore renewable energy.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has briefed his Norwegian counterpart Annekin Huitfeldt about measures taken in building safety and green production facilities in the RMG sector.
Also read:Crown Princess of Denmark Mary Elizabeth in Dhaka on a 3-day visit
The Norwegian Minister showed interest in the ship breaking industry and enquired about Bangladesh’s plans concerning ratifying the Hong Kong Convention.
Momen held the meeting with the visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister in Dhaka on Sunday.
The newly appointed Norwegian Foreign Minister is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh as both countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
Crown Princess of Denmark Mary Elizabeth in Dhaka on a 3-day visit
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen received Crown Princess of Denmark Mary Elizabeth who arrived here on Monday on a three-day visit.
She met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gonobhaban and will hold meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at a city hotel today.
Also read: Danish Crown Princess Mary to meet PM, visit Rohingya camps
She will also meet the Rohingyas and host communities in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.
The Crown Princess, who turns 50, will attend a lunch hosted by the Danish Ambassador in Dhaka at her residence.
She is scheduled to reach Cox’s Bazar at around 5pm on Monday and will join a briefing by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) on Tuesday morning.
The Princess will travel to Rohingya camps by car from Cox’s Bazar town and observe soil erosion control and environment restoration activities of DRC through tree plantation at camp 5.
She will interact with 8-10 Rohingya beneficiaries in an open shed outside of the RCO. The Danish Crown Princess will plant trees there.
The Crown Princess will also interact with the host community.
From Cox’s Bazar, she will travel to Satkhira on Wednesday morning and visit Kultoli village to meet climate vulnerable community members.
The Crown Princess will visit multipurpose cyclone shelter at the nearby community, its management committee and functionality during cyclone.
Also read:Jaishankar likely to visit Dhaka April 28
She will talk to community members close behind embankment about vulnerability, loss and damages caused by cyclones.
The Crown Princess will avail of a boat ride to the Sundarbans and will have interaction with the forest officials during a 15 minutes' walk through the natural resource discussing biodiversity and salt water intrusion in the Sundarbans.
She is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Istanbul on Wednesday night.
FM highlights work towards 'free, fair and transparent' elections
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has reiterated the government's commitment towards strengthening institutions and noted significant works over the last few years creating scope for free, fair and transparent elections.
“We had some difficulties but in the last few years, we’ve done very well,” he said, referring to the establishment of all the institutions which are necessary for “free, fair and transparent” elections.
Minister Momen made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled “Bangladesh and the United States Relations: Moving towards Enhanced Cooperation and Partnership” organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at the BIISS auditorium on Sunday.
Also read:US won't take sides in election: Amb. Haas
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas attended the event as special guest in which he highlighted three areas ripe for growth in the bilateral relationship - security, human rights and democracy, and economic ties.
During his visit to Washington DC recently, the Foreign Minister highlighted the “vibrant democratic practices” that are ongoing in the country.
In fact, he said, the recently adopted law on the formation of the Election Commission is a good manifestation of the Government's goodwill and determination to hold a free and fair election.
Altogether, Bangladesh says, it remains open to discuss all issues in the good governance and human rights domain.
Bangladesh and the US are committed to enhance the relations to a higher plateau in coming years, as was reflected in deliberations during Momen’s visit to Washington DC.
US Ambassador Haas has said the US will not take any side in the upcoming elections in Bangladesh and reiterated US commitment across the world to help countries strengthen democracy.
“Let me be clear: the United States will not pick a side in the upcoming elections. We simply hope for a democratic process that allows the Bangladeshi people to freely decide who will run their country,” he said.
While delivering his speech, Momen said anyone who wants to come and observe the election is welcome.
He referred to the last election in his constituency which was observed by former US Ambassador Earl Miller who did not find anything wrong.
The Foreign Minister also invited the US Ambassador Haas and his team to observe the coming elections as they are keen to improve any weaknesses or any gap.
Momen noted that the US has been an important partner in Bangladesh’s journey towards development.
Noting that the Indo-Pacific Strategy is one of the key initiatives in Asia and the Pacific, he hoped that Bangladesh and the USA will work together to make this region a peaceful one and create a conducive environment that will bring benefits for all countries.
The seminar was chaired by BIISS Chairman Ambassador Kazi Imtiaz Hossain while its Director General Major General Mohammad Maksudur Rahman delivered the welcome remarks.
Prof Ruksana Kibria of Department of International Relations at DU talked on the topic titled “The evolving Bangladesh- US relations” while Brig. General (Retd.) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain, Senior Fellow, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance, North-South University and former Election Commissioner of Bangladesh, made a presentation on “Bangladesh-US Partnership for Enhanced Security in South Asia”.
Ambassador Humayun Kabir, President, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) talked about “Contemporary Dynamics of Bangladesh-US relations and the Way Forward.”
The presentations were followed by the remarks of designated discussant Ambassador Tariq A. Karim, Director, Center for Bay of Bengal Studies, Independent University Bangladesh.
Maksudur Rahman said that after the establishment of diplomatic ties on 04 April 1972, Bangladesh-US relations have gradually evolved into a partnership which has multidimensional aspects including trade, energy cooperation, infrastructure development, ICT, human resource development, security cooperation, etc.
Also read:Danish Crown Princess Mary to meet PM, visit Rohingya camps
Despite growing cooperation, there arose some issues which, according to him, can be resolved through continuous dialogues and discussions.
Kazi Imtiaz Hossain said Bangladesh-US relations have come a long way which is based on bilateral cooperation, mutual trust and respect for each other.
The solid foundation of diplomatic relations between the two countries gives a glimpse of a prosperous future in coming decades, he said.
Hossain acknowledged the support of the US to Bangladesh in managing the Rohingya crisis since 2017 which helped the latter in providing life-saving assistance to over a million Rohingyas.
He, however, called for more support from the US in normalizing the situation in Myanmar and thereby creating an environment for safe repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Senior officials from different ministries of government, ambassadors and high commissioners, former diplomats, senior military officials, media, academia, representatives from different international organizations and students from different universities participated in the seminar.
Romanian consular team likely to arrive Dhaka April 15
A consular team from Romania is expected to arrive Dhaka on April 15.
They are likely to start providing visa services from April 17, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Romania.
Also read:Romania to send Consular team to Dhaka for 3 months
Interested applicants have been advised to submit visa files to the designated desk at the BMET building in city's Kakrail.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry is sending the Consular team to Dhaka for three months to issue about 5000 visas including 3400 pending visas.
"They need some local assistance. This is the first time that they are sending such kind of consular mission abroad," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Monday.
Also read:Romanian ambassador presents credentials to President Hamid amid hope of growing Dhaka-Bucharest ties
Following the bilateral consultation held in October 2021 between the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania approved opening of the temporary Consular office in Dhaka and sending a delegation for three months.
Bhutanese FM for early conclusion of agreement on use of Bangladesh’s inland waterways
Bhutanese Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji has stressed on the early conclusion of transit agreement and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the use of inland waterways of Bangladesh by Bhutan.
The Bhutanese Foreign Minister also requested to open up new Land Custom Stations(LCS)/landport for transportation of bilateral trade goods.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday met the Bhutanese Foreign Minister in Sri Lankan capital city and discussed issues of mutual interest.
Read:Sri Lanka offers greater use of Colombo port by Bangladesh
The Bhutanese Foreign Minister thanked the Government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for all the support extended to Bhutan during the time of necessity.
He specially thanked Bangladesh for the medicines sent to Bhutan which helped combat COVID-19.
The two Ministers agreed to work closely in the areas of power and energy.
Both the Foreign Ministers agreed to move forward with MoU on cooperation in hydropower investment for mutual benefit.
The Bhutanese Foreign Minister informed with encouragement that their Government is going to lift mandatory quarantine for the official delegation from around the world by the end of April.
He proposed that the long pending Foreign Office Consultations and Commerce Secretary Level Talks with Bangladesh could be held soon.
Both the Foreign Ministers agreed to work together in various regional and multilateral fora for common benefits.
The Bhutanese Foreign Minister invited the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh to visit Bhutan at a mutually convenient time.
Read:BIMSTEC leaders pledge to intensify regional cooperation to offset economic losses
The meeting ended in a positive note with commitment of working together bilaterally, regionally and internationally.
Secretary (East) Mashfee Binte Shams, Rector of Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy Asad Alam Siam and High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka Tareq Md Ariful Islam were also present.
PM to attend BIMSTEC Summit virtually: FM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually join the BIMSTEC Summit scheduled to be held on March 30 in Sri Lanka.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, who will attend the Summit, confirmed the prime minister’s virtual joining.
While talking to reporters at his office on Tuesday, Dr Momen also said Myanmar is not probably sending ther head of the government.
Read:Stay united to take Bangladesh forward: PM urges after dedicating Payra plant as her Ramadan, Eid gift
The 5th BIMSTEC Summit is likely to adopt the long expected BIMSTEC transport connectivity master plan, says State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam recently.
This plan, he said, will put new impetus in implementation of multi-modal connectivity projects connecting the member states towards regional integration in the Bay of Bengal Region.
Though the COVID 19 slowed down the momentum, the 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be held after four years since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in 2018.
The much-awaited next edition of the BIMSTEC Summit will be hosted by current chair Sri Lanka.
The 5th BIMSTEC Summit will be an opportunity to review and reflect what had worked and what did not, said the State Minister.
“It will be an opportunity to refresh and renew their commitment to strengthen the BIMSTEC Process in all respects,” he said.
At the impending 5th BIMSTEC Summit, Alam said, a substantive number of issues are expected to be high on the agenda of the leaders for their consideration and adoption.
Another fundamental area of cooperation and a much needed element of regional integration is the implementation of BIMSTEC Free Trade Area, said the State Minister while addressing as the chief guest at the “Bay of Bengal Economic Forum 2022” on Friday.
Read: Greek PM phones Hasina, praises her leadership for impressive development
Alam said BIMSTEC is expecting to get a Charter after 25 years of its establishment. “We’re also expecting a quarter dozen legal instruments to be concluded during the Summit.”
With the conclusion of these four legal instruments, the number of essential legal documents will be raised to 13 from existing, he said.
These documents are fundamental software for operation and functioning of the BIMSTEC Process which has been moving at a slow pace since its inception in 1997.