Counselor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet is scheduled to arrive here Tuesday as his country sees "huge potential" in their relationship with Bangladesh and a lot of "room to grow." During his 24-hour stay, Chollet will meet Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Wednesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apart from his other engagements in Dhaka. Chollet serves at the rank of under secretary as a senior policy advisor to the US secretary of state on a wide range of issues and conducts special diplomatic assignments as directed by the secretary. Bangladesh saw a series of senior US officials visiting it in recent months with the last one by US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Donald Lu. Bangladesh said the visit of the US counselor will help strengthen its relations with the US. "The purpose of his visit is to strengthen the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the US," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters recently. Sabrin said Chollet will also discuss the Rohingya issue. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char. "It is a remarkable journey – 51 years. We are interested in deepening the ties," said the US counselor ahead of his planned visit. Talking at the television talk show "Tritiyo Matra" online, the US counselor said he is coming to talk to senior officials and private sectors in Bangladesh to discuss ways to deepen the ongoing cooperation between the two countries. Read more: US sees huge potential to grow its relations with Bangladesh: Counselor Chollet Mentioning that the US places democracy and human rights at the heart of their foreign policy, Chollet said Bangladesh is such a good long-standing friend, and they have "very frank exchanges" about the concerns they have. The issues related to the Rohingya crisis and the overall security in the Indo-Pacific region are likely to get priority during his visit. "We are deeply concerned about the situation in Myanmar which is only getting worse," said Chollet. The US wants a solution to the Rohingya crisis, and the solution lies in Myanmar but instability is growing inside Myanmar. The US counselor said they are doing whatever they can in cooperation with Bangladesh and trying to ease the pressure on the country from the refugee crisis by providing critical assistance to it to support its humanitarian needs, also with efforts to try to bring some of the refugees back to the US. There are "a whole host of issues" that the two countries can work together, said the US counselor.  

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.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said the Bangladesh-India relationship has seen "transformative changes" reaching a new height with significant achievements through cooperation and collaboration. "Bangladesh attaches the highest importance to its relations with India," he said while speaking at a reception at the 74th Republic Day of India. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma hosted the reception. Momen said the relationship between the two countries led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi created opportunities for robust cooperation to achieve more together. The foreign minister said there are huge untapped opportunities on the trade front for the countries. He said Bangladesh and India have started a discussion on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which will bring benefits for the two countries. He emphasised peace and stability in the region for further development to benefit all. Momen emphasised synergised efforts and mutually beneficial partnership between Bangladesh and India for the betterment of the lives and livelihoods of the people of the two countries. The foreign minister recalled the crucial role played by the people and government of India during the War of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. He enthusiastically called India Bangladesh's closest neighbour – both in terms of bilateral relations and geographical proximity. Momen emphasised that the visit of Sheikh Hasina to India in September last year has added new momentum to the "excellent" bilateral relations already existing between the countries.  Expressing satisfaction over the rapidly growing bilateral trade that increased three-fold during the last decade, he called for enhancing bilateral trade in a balanced manner addressing all trade barriers. He stressed complimenting each other's economy for the prosperity of both countries. Read more: 74th Republic Day of India celebrated in Dhaka

Newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a brief stopover at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Tuesday. "Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen received his Chinese counterpart upon his arrival at around 1:58am. Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) were also present," a senior MoFA official told UNB. The foreign ministers had a brief meeting there and discussed issues of mutual interest. Earlier, Momen told UNB that it was not an official visit to Bangladesh, but the Chinese foreign minister would make a stopover here on his way to another destination. Qin Gang, who until recently was ambassador to the US, has started his term with a weeklong trip to five African countries. Read more: China’s foreign minister signals deeper ties with Russia To "deepen the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership" and boost friendly cooperation between China and Africa, Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, Egypt, the African Union Headquarters and the League of Arab States Headquarters upon invitation, from January 9 to 16, 2023," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily media briefing on Monday. This is the 33rd consecutive year that Africa has been the destination of the Chinese foreign ministers' annual first overseas visit, he added.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today said that the recommendations some foreigners at times give seem to be “idiotic and illusory”. “Foreigners' knowledge on Bangladesh is very limited,” he said, adding that people of the country are well aware of this. Read more: People will have better standard of living if current development trend continues: Momen The foreign minister was talking to reporters after a meeting at the community clinic of Civil Surgeon‘s office in Sylhet. Thirty lakh people sacrificed their lives to establish human rights and justice when this country was formed, Momen said. The minister said about 70-80 percent people cast their votes in elections in this country, adding that not even 25-30 percent people in many countries vote. “Candidates cannot be found in the election. But in this country, a large number of candidates compete for each post.” Read more: Govt to honour expats through National Expatriate Day: Momen Under the circumstance, Momen urged the media not to focus on foreigners’ statements. “If the media does not go to them (foreigners), they will sit idle,” he said, adding that no country has such media freedom as in Bangladesh. “Many opposition parties are spreading misinformation abroad as they do not want the country to develop,” Momen added.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today urged the international community to scale up financial and technological support for the developing countries to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the resulting cost-of-living crisis around the world, aggravated by sanctions and counter-sanctions, cannot be a pretext for diminishing or diverting the much needed financing for tackling the climate crisis in order to save planet earth, he said. Speaking at the launching ceremony of the global hub of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), Momen said the government of Bangladesh stands ready to provide full support to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) to achieve the goal of the global hub which is to promote Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) at scale, with speed, to reduce climate risks for populations and sections of society that are most vulnerable to climate change. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the launching ceremony virtually as the chief guest. "The kind presence of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at this launch is clear testimony to our unstinting support," Momen said. Read more: $230bn needed: PM seeks support from global partners to implement climate adaptation plan The Foreign Minister congratulated Ban Ki-moon and the entire GCA team once again. "I feel personally pleased to be able to serve as a member of the GCA Governing Body. The launch of the Global Hub today is indeed a positive step forward from our decision to host the GCA Regional Office in Dhaka. Soon we plan to organize other events," he said. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations and Chair of the Board, Global Center on Adaptation Ban Ki-moon, Chief Executive Officer, Global Center on Adaptation Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson spoke at the launching ceremony held at Foreign Service Academy. Momen thanked the government of the United Kingdom for its support in establishing the global hub. "I hope, following the UK, other countries/ institutions will come forward with generous funding." Each year, Momen said, more than 6,50,000 people of Bangladesh are being uprooted from their homes, from their traditional jobs, due to erratic climate changes and global warming and river erosion and the government has the responsibility to rehabilitate them although the government has no role in contributing to their uprooting. There are varieties of estimates that say that around 20% of the coastal areas of Bangladesh will be flooded, and there could be millions uprooted from their homes. "If millions of people are uprooted from their homes it will create a global security problem," Momen said, adding that "before such a situation happens, I would request global leaders to come forward to share the burden of their rehabilitation and also take corrective action so that that situation never happens." The Foreign Minister said, "Our journey with GCA is promising and progressing. It pleases me to witness that over a span of just 2 years, GCA and the Bangladesh Government have developed the adaptation activities." Read more: New abnormal: Climate disaster damage ‘down’ to $268 billion Bangladesh is ready to share similar home-grown solutions such as floating agriculture, rainwater harvesting, early warning system, climate resistant crop varieties with other vulnerable countries through this Global Hub, he said.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen inaugurated ‘Bangabandhu Corner’ and ‘Bangabandhu Garden’ at the APJ Abdul Kalam Learning and Resource Center of India’s National Institute of Technology (NIT), Silchar situated in Assam State on Saturday. Later, Momen attended a discussion and cultural program held at the institute’s Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium as the chief guest, where he thanked the Indian government for honoring Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Read more: Bangabandhu corners are not just rooms with pictures, books: Momen “Through the establishment of Mujib Corner at South Asia’s largest digital library, the students of NIT will get a chance to know more about the life, struggles and achievements of Bangabandhu. Besides, the students will also learn about Bangladesh’s long struggle for freedom and India’s contribution during the Liberation War of Bangladesh,” Momen said.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday called for developing a cooperative mechanism among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean to promote collaboration for reaping maximum benefits of  the blue economy. "Bangladesh believes that the regional vision for the blue economy must be supported by a balanced integration of the economic, social and environmental elements of development," he told the IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) Business Forum Leadership Summit at a city hotel. Read more: Russian Ambassador instead of FM to represent the country in IORA meeting Momen said optimal use of the marine resources – categorized as blue economy- has been recognized as one of the key components of sustainable development. Bangladesh, he said, considers blue economy as one of the cornerstones of its economic growth and socio-economic development. Chairman of the Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum Sheikh Fazle Fahim and Secretary-General IORA Ambassador Salman Al Farisi also spoke. Bangladesh, as the current chair of IORA, is going to host the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Ministers (COM) under the theme “Harnessing the opportunities of the Indian Ocean sustainably for inclusive development” on November 24. "I believe the council will definitely take note of the suggestions of this business forum regarding the recovery from the impact of pandemic," Momen said. Read more: IORA meeting to be successful with more avenues of cooperation: Shahriar He said there is a need for a sustained dialogue among business leaders, scholars, practitioners and policy makers to identify and deliberate on various economic challenges confronting the region, identify mechanisms to address those and evolve new frameworks for co-operation with the regional countries. IORA has evolved into an important regional group spanning the Indian Ocean through sustained dialogue and cooperation and now is playing as a key driving force to ensure development, peace and stability in the region, Momen said.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said the government broadened its network of sources for energy supply through successful discussion with a number of friendly countries. “We had limited sources before. Now, we have widened the sources of the network. We have made it very successfully,” he told reporters after attending a prize giving ceremony at Buet playground. Read more: Dhaka, Moscow discuss energy cooperation Momen said the energy crisis is now a global crisis as there is a disruption in the supply chain and financial transaction due to the war in Ukraine. He mentioned his successful discussion with the ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where there is plenty of oil stock. Momen said the countries like Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia are also willing to supply energy to Bangladesh. “Even, China is willing to supply energy if Bangladesh faces a crisis. You see more nations are coming,” he said. Read more: Come with money, technology in green energy sector, Nasrul tells development partners Momen said Bangladesh will soon manage the situation and there will be availability of energy. “We will do whatever is needed for the welfare of the country.” Responding to a question, the foreign minister said there is no dollar crisis in the country. After paying $1.35 billion to Asian Clearing Union (ACU) as an import bill for September-October and $131 million spent to meet LC liabilities, the forex reserves stood at $34.3 billion at the end of November 7. Momen said the forex reserves fluctuated from US$ 3 billion to US$ 3.5 billion during the period of 2001-2006. “There is no shortage of foreign currency. It's plenty of money for a few months of import,” said the foreign minister.  Momen said there is no reason to stop issuance of LC (letter of credit), rather the government is taking action to check over invoicing. “This is good. They should examine or reexamine all the documents. This is not bad at all.”

Bangladesh, KSA to hold JEC talks in Riyadh October 30-31 Energy-rich Saudi Deputy Minister of Interior Dr.Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Daoud will visit Bangladesh in the second week of November. Before the planned visit, Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will hold the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting which will be held on October 30-31 in Riyadh.   The Saudi Deputy Minister is likely to visit Dhaka on November 11-12. Bangladesh and KSA are likely to sign two agreements including security cooperation during the visit. Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Essa Alduhailan met Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Momen expressed readiness and full cooperation from his office in making the visit fruitful.   They exchanged views on various bilateral issues of mutual interests.   The Ambassador expressed satisfaction at the state of excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia which is growing rapidly encompassing various fields including political, economic, defense, manpower, business, trade and investment.   During the meeting, the Foreign Minister and the Saudi envoy discussed and reviewed various issues of the existing and prospective investment initiatives including power and renewable energy sectors and new proposals under consideration from Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh.  The Minister stated that his office was ready to push forward any proposals from the Saudi side in making headways.  While reflecting on the current energy crisis in view of the Russia- Ukraine war, Momen said Bangladesh needed brotherly gesture from Saudi Arabia in meeting its energy need and urged the Ambassador to look into the possible Saudi investment in the LNG sector.   The Saudi envoy stated that he would take up the issue with the concerned Saudi stakeholders.   The Foreign Minister appreciated the progress and development under the present leadership and welcomed the recent appointment of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Congratulating the new leadership for his dynamic role for the Muslim world, he stated that people were looking forward to according a warm welcome to the Prime Minister to Bangladesh.  Welcoming the proposal, the Saudi Ambassador underlined the need for the Minister to undertake a visit to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Foreign Minister for his continuous support and guidance to take forward the bilateral engagements to new heights including Bangladesh’s valuable support to Saudi Arabia in the multilateral fora.