President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Saturday called upon everyone to be vigilant so that those who oppose the Liberation War and independence do not come to power. The president made the call at the opening ceremony of the sixth national council of the Sector Commanders' Forum Liberation War '71 at Osmani memorial auditorium in the capital. Freedom fighters from all over the country and their young generations joined the council. Highlighting the contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the great hero of the liberation war, to the independence and development of Bangladesh, President Shahabuddin said that though Bangladesh gained the desired independence through a long struggle, the conspiracy of the anti-independence did not stop. They are still active. Appreciating the role of the Sector Commanders Forum in raising voice for obtaining international recognition of the genocide of 1971, the President hoped that they will continue their effort to realize this demand in the future as well. The President said demand for international recognition of genocide, rape, crimes against humanity committed in 1971 by Pakistani invading forces and their domestic allies is the demand of justice and human rights. Mentioning that the defeated forces of the liberation war are still active, he said that this demand must be implemented in a united way. “No matter how many obstacles the anti-liberation war forces create, we will resist them,” he emphasized. Saying that the sector commander forum contributed a lot in organizing and training the peasants, labor and youth to make them fit for the battlefield, the President asked all who believe in the spirit of Liberation War to work for speeding up the progress of the country's development. “Bangabandhu's killers; defeated forces in the Liberation War did this. After the assassination of Bangabandhu, the basic spirit of the constitution was destroyed,” the President also commented. Highlighting the development and progress of the country in various fields under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, President said that Bangladesh is now sitting on the seat of dignity in the international arena. "In the last 15 years, the spirit of the liberation war has been sharpened. This government is the people's government. All the activities it has done are people-friendly," he said. The forum is working at the national and international levels to get international recognition of the 1971 genocide since its birth. Executive President of Sectors Commanders Forum freedom fighter Md. Nurul Alam, advisor Sarwar Ali, vice-president M Hamid and general secretary Harun Habib spoke. In the event, President Shahabuddin unveiled the book titled GENOCIDE 71 published by the Sector Commanders Forum on the international recognition of the genocide in Bangladesh.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Friday urged Vietnamese companies to invest in Bangladesh, particularly in the special economic zone. The president made this call when the visiting President of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue called on him  at Bangabhaban. Welcoming the president of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Shahabuddin said that there is a very good relationship between Bangladesh and Vietnam, President's press secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB. Referring to the visit of the President of Vietnam to Bangladesh and the visit of the Prime Minister and President of Bangladesh to Vietnam, he said that through this the relationship between the two countries has been strengthened. Outgoing Chief Justice pays farewell call on President The president also urged Vietnam to import world-class products including medicines, ready-made garments, leather and leather goods, ceramics from Bangladesh to increase bilateral trade. Alongside, he sought Vietnam's support and cooperation for Bangladesh as a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN. President Shahabuddin hoped that Vietnam will play a major role in the dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar. President Shahabuddin calls for early repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar  During the meeting, Vuong Dinh said that his country is deeply interested in increasing trade and investment relations with Bangladesh. Appreciating the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, he said that his country will cooperate in the implementation of the government's goal to make Bangladesh a developed and smart Bangladesh by 2041. President Shahabuddin returns home wrapping up 12-day Singapore, Indonesia tour   President's Office Secretary Sampad Barua, Military Secretary Major General SM Salah Uddin Islam, Secretary ( attached) Md. Wahidul Islam Khan and the visiting entourage members of the President of the National Assembly of Vietnam were also present.

Outgoing Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique on Thursday paid a farewell call on President Mohammed Shahbuddin at Bangabhaban. President's press secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB that the chief justice thanked the president for his overall support during the tenure. During the meeting, the chief justice informed the president about the progress of the disposal of cases, the judicial activities of the Appellate Division, High Court and  the lower courts. Chief justice Hasan Foez said case disposal rate at the lower courts is now 100 percent. Besides, the rate of settlement of cases at the High Court and Appellate Division has also increased a lot, he added. Read: Dhaka and Islamabad can cooperate in agri research for mutual gains: PM Hasina tells outgoing Pak envoy The chief justice also thanked the government for the development of the judiciary and cooperation in judicial proceedings. The president thanked the chief justice for bringing dynamism in the judicial process and introducing digital technology in the judicial process. The president also expressed satisfaction over the increase in the rate of disposal of cases. Read: Outgoing Pakistan High Commissioner calls on President He thanked the chief justice for discharging his duties efficiently and successfully during his tenure. Secretaries to the President were also present during the meeting. Read more: Outgoing Netherlands envoy calls on President Shahabuddin

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday called on the international community to take urgent steps for safe, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar.  The president made the call while opening the 7th Partnership Meeting of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) as chief guest at the Pan- Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city. He said Bangladesh opened its borders for the persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian ground and currently the country is hosting around 1.2 million forcibly displaced people from Myanmar, providing them with shelter, food, and other necessities. "It is imperative to understand that the burden of this crisis should not fall solely upon our shoulders. While we continue to provide support to them, it is high time that the international community finds a durable solution to this crisis in its place of origin in Myanmar," he said.  President Shahabuddin also cautioned that the delay to commence safe, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas and shortage of humanitarian support may put the entire region at risk. The president referred to the climate change as a global crisis that demands global cooperation.  He called upon the international community to honor their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide support to vulnerable nations like Bangladesh. The president lauded Bangladesh’s development in the past few years. "Bangladesh's overall development under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visionary leadership began in January 2009 when her government took office and initiated the strategies like “Digital Bangladesh”; “Vision-2021 and “Vision 2041”, and “Smart Bangladesh” which acted like the catalyst of development and growth that we achieved," he said. He said Bangladesh has come a long way on its journey of development leaving poverty and adversity behind. The country has made remarkable strides in various sectors such as healthcare and education. Describing Bangladesh Red Crescent Society as a beacon of hope, compassion, and selflessness, he said it represents the very essence of humanity. "Through the 7th Partnership Meeting, we are celebrating not only the enduring spirit of the Red Crescent but also the collective efforts of countless individuals, organizations, and volunteers who have made it possible," he said. BDRCS Secretary General Shafikul Alam delivered the welcome speech in the programme. Chairman of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Major General ( Rtd) Abdul Wahad presented a honourary crest to Shahabuddin who is also the president of BDRCS. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md. Enamur Rahman, Head of Bangladesh delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross Agnes Dhur, regional director ( Asia - Pacific) International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society Alexander Mathaou also spoke.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Saturday landed in Dhaka after wrapping up a 12 day long Singapore and Indonesia tour. "A VVIP aircraft (flight no BG- 585 ) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:35pm," President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, cabinet secretary Mahbub Hossain, principal secretary of Prime Minister Tofazzel Hossain Miah, dean of the diplomatic corps, Ambassador of Indonesia Heru H. Subolo, chiefs of the three services and senior civil and military officials concerned received him at the airport. Read: President returns to Dhaka On September 8, the President flew to Singapore for a check-up from Indonesian capital Jakarta. In Indonesia, he attended the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit, the 18th East Asia Summit and other programmes with bilateral meetings on the sidelines from September 5 to September 7. At the invitation of the Indonesian President and Asean Chair for 2023 Joko Widodo, President Shahabuddin left Dhaka for Jakarta on September 4. Read more: President returns home from Singapore

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit to be held on September 5-7. Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen welcomed the President and his entourage upon their arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta at 1730 (local time) after one hour and 50 minutes of stopover at Changi International Airport, Singapore. His arrival was welcomed with traditional Indonesian dances in the airport. Also read: President Shahabuddin off to Jakarta to attend 43rd ASEAN Summit Earlier on Monday, a regular flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President along with his spouse Rebecca Sultana and other entourage members, left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) for Jakarta at 8:30 am. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, dean of the diplomatic corps, cabinet secretary, chiefs of the three defence services, inspector general of police (IGP) and senior civil and military officials saw him off at the airport. Among others, Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will accompany the President during the visit. Also read: President to lead Bangladesh contingent at ASEAN Summit Shahabuddin has been invited by the President of the Republic of Indonesia and ASEAN Chair for 2023 Joko Widodo, Press secretary Joynal Abedin said.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday (September 04, 2023) left for Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit and 18th East Asia Summit to be held on September 5-7. A regular flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President along with his spouse Prof Rebecca Sultana and other entourage members, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) International Airport (HSIA) for Jakarta at 8:30 am. Among others, Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will accompany the President during the visit. Read: Southeast Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an ASEAN summit without Biden Shahabuddin has been invited by the President of the Republic of Indonesia and ASEAN Chair for 2023 Joko Widodo, Press secretary Joynal Abedin said. With the theme of "Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", the ASEAN Summit will be held with a hectic agenda for three days. The Bangladesh president, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, will also attend the 'East Asia Summit' slated for September 7. Alongside, the president will deliver the concluding speech on "Strengthening Regional Architecture to Support the Epicentrum of Growth from the Perspective of IORA" as the "Guest of Chair" there. He will also have separate bilateral meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo and state leaders of Thailand, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. On September 6, the president will attend a 'Gala Dinner' to be hosted by the Indonesian president at Hutan Kota Gelora Bung Karno. Read: ASEAN’s collective market holds significant promise for Bangladesh’s economic growth: Momen Joko Widodo will chair 12 meetings during the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization of 11 Southeast Asian countries - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste or East Timor. The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by its members. The Indonesian president will also chair the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS), which consists of 18 members, including the 10 ASEAN countries, the United States, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and India, according to the ASEAN secretariat. The leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank (World Bank) are also reportedly planning to attend the ASEAN Summit. From Jakarta President Shahabuddin along with his spouse will will go to Singapore for a health check-up. He is expected to return home from Singapore on September 16, according to the revised schedule. Read: US Deputy Assistant Secretary Mira Resnick in Dhaka

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday will leave for Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit and 18th East Asia Summit to be held on September 5-7. A regular aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President along with his spouse Prof Dr Rebecca Sultana and other entourage members, is scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) International Airport (HSIA) for Jakarta at 8:30 am. Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will also accompany the President during the visit. At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia and ASEAN Chair for 2023 Joko Widodo, Press secretary Joynal Abedin said the President will attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit and the East Asia Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). Read: President Shahabuddin to visit Indonesia to attend 43rd ASEAN Summit on Sept 5-7 With the theme of "Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", the ASEAN Summit will be held with a hectic agenda for three days. He, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, will also attend the 'East Asia Summit' slated for September 7. Alongside, the President will deliver the concluding speech on "Strengthening Regional Architecture to Support the Epicentrum of Growth from the Perspective of IORA" as the "Guest of Chair" there. He will also have separate bilateral meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo and state leaders of Thailand, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. On September 6, the President will attend a 'Gala Dinner' to be hosted by the Indonesian president at Hutan Kota Gelora Bung Karno. Read: Make investments in Bangladesh: President Shahabuddin urges Italian businesses Joko Widodo will chair 12 meetings during the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization of 11 Southeast Asian countries - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste or East Timor. The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by its members. The Indonesian President will also chair the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS), which consists of 18 members, including the 10 ASEAN countries, the United States, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and India, according to ASEAN secretariat. The leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank (World Bank) are also reportedly planning to attend the ASEAN Summit. Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen told BSS that apart from discussions on bilateral cooperation on different sectors, two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on energy and health collaboration between Bangladesh and Indonesia are likely to be signed during the visit of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Read: Use new technology to spread the message of Bangabandhu: President Shahabuddin Winding up the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit, President Shahabuddin along with his spouse will leave Jakarta for Singapore for a health check up. The President is expected to return home from Singapore on September 16, according to the revised schedule.  

President Md Shahabuddin will visit Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit to be held in Jakarta Convention Center on September 5-7. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, who will accompany the President during the visit, briefed the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday regarding President Shahabuddin's engagements in Jakarta. Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has invited Bangladesh as chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).   President Shahabuddin is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Jakarta on September 4. There will be a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh and Indonesia at the president-level, said the Foreign Minister, adding that two MoUs on cooperation in the areas of energy and health could be signed. Bangladesh President will attend the opening and closing session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit apart from his other engagements. The theme of the Summit is “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.” Momen said the President will deliver a speech at the closing session as the “guest of chair” on “Strengthening Regional Architecture to Support the Epicentrum of Growth from the Perspective of IORA.” Read: Make investments in Bangladesh: President Shahabuddin urges Italian businesses The Foreign Minister said this will be the President’s first visit to Indonesia and hoped that the visit will be successful. Indonesian President Joko Widodo will chair 12 meetings during the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The series of the 43rd ASEAN Summit will be held in plenary and retreat formats, including the 26th ASEAN-China Summit, the 24th ASEAN-the Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit, the 26th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 11th ASEAN-U.S. Summit, the ASEAN-Canada Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the 20th ASEAN-India Summit, the 3rd ASEAN-Australia Summit, the 18th East Asia Summit, and 13th ASEAN-the United Nations Summit. Read: Chief Justice calls on President Shahabuddin at Bangabahaban Meanwhile, the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Plus Three Summit will be held on September 7. A number of bilateral meetings between ASEAN leaders will also be held on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit. Read more: Use new technology to spread the message of Bangabandhu: President Shahabuddin

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday urged investors of Italy to invest in Bangladesh's export processing zones and hi-tech parks. “Italy is the sixth largest export destination of Bangladesh and the volume of bilateral trade exceeded three billion dollars last year. Bangladesh has developed more investment-friendly environment for the investors,” he said. Also read: Chief Justice calls on President Shahabuddin at Bangabahaban He said this while newly appointed Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro presented his credential to him at Bangabhaban, President’s press secretary Joynal Abedin told reporters after the meeting. Welcoming the new ambassador, the president said that the relationship between Bangladesh and Italy is very deep. The celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries is a milestone in bilateral relations. He said the prime minister's participation in the Food System Summit held in Italy in 2023 and the state visit to Italy in 2020 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries. Also read: Use new technology to spread the message of Bangabandhu: President Shahabuddin He said the recent signing of energy and cultural exchange agreement has brought more dynamism to the relationship between the two countries. Apart from this, there is a discussion about increasing co-operation in the fields of defense, immigration, security and cyber security. Thanking Italy for its cooperation in dealing with the Rohingya crisis, the president requested Italy to continue its pressure for their repatriation to their homeland Myanmar. Urging Italy to take more manpower from Bangladesh, the president welcomed the interest of the Italian government from Bangladesh under Italy's legal migration scheme. The Italian ambassador said that his government attaches great importance to the development of relations with Bangladesh. Bangladesh's manpower is playing an important role in the development of Italy. Also read: Bangladesh Ambassador to Lebanon pays courtesy call on President Praising the Bangladeshis living in Italy, he said that the Bangladeshis working in Italy are well-disciplined and there is very little crime among them. He also appreciated the role of peacekeepers of Bangladesh in maintaining world peace. The ambassador said that Italy will work on new areas to expand bilateral relations. The ambassador sought the president's cooperation in fulfilling his new duties. Secretaries concerned to the President were also present during the meeting.