United News of Bangladesh

Outgoing Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Md Riaz Hamidullah on Sunday met Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues of mutual interest. "Pleased to receive Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah for a farewell call. Appreciate his contribution and wish him all the best in future endeavours," said Dr S Jaishankar in a post from his verified social media account. During his eighteen month stint in India as Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz said he tried to quietly advance Bangladesh-India relations, premised on mutual trust, dignity and shared benefits. Rather than following conventional paths of diplomacy, he said he tried to touch the chords of the people. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday highlighted the need for continuous dialogue, mutual respect and trust between the two countries to address bilateral issues, saying every issue between the two neighbours has a solution. “There’s no point hiding the issues, and there’s no point not talking about the issues,” he said while speaking at a discussion titled “Power and Prudence: Managing Great-Power Competition without Conflict” as part of the ongoing Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka. Trivedi, who faced a couple of questions, said the two countries need to discuss all outstanding issues, including water, trade, culture, sports, communication and transportation, through appropriate forums. “In a democracy, the dialogue has to be there at the proper forum. And the dialogue has to be a continuous dialogue,” he said, noting that the process of engagement between the two countries may be slow, but it has not stopped. “I can guarantee you, there is no stoppage of process. The process is ongoing,” Trivedi said. “Believe me, there has to be a solution, and there will be a solution,” the Indian diplomat added.

European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller has said Bangladesh will need strong institutions, independent oversight mechanisms and transparent governance to attract both foreign and domestic investment and create meaningful jobs for its youth. “If this country is to attract investment, both foreign and domestic, and to create meaningful jobs for its youth, it will require strong institutions and oversight mechanisms,” he said. The Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Bangladesh was speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation, sharing his thoughts through the "Diplomatic Lens". Miller said Bangladesh would need strong institutions, independent oversight mechanisms and predictable and inclusive decision-making if it is to withstand external, geoeconomic, climate, social and technological pressures. “It will need to carry through the important work launched, but not yet concluded on constitutional reform, which in turn requires effort to promote greater consensus in politics,” he said.

The energy ministers of Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Austria, and Germany have recently signed the Algiers Ministerial Declaration on the South Hydrogen Corridor project. The declaration was signed following the second ministerial meeting of the five partner countries in the Algerian capital on October 1, said the Algerian Embassy in Dhaka on Sunday.             The declaration primarily provides for the establishment of a dedicated secretariat for technical support to the project with the assistance of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and highlights the strategic importance of the project as a lever for regional and Euro-Mediterranean integration in the field of green energy. The declaration was signed by the Algerian Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies, Mourad Adjal; the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism of the Republic of Austria, Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer; the Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin; the State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Frank Wenzel; and the Tunisian Minister of Equipment and Housing in charge of managing the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, Slah Zouari. The document emphasises the strategic importance of the South Hydrogen Corridor initiative as a driver for regional integration and energy cooperation, renewing a shared commitment to strengthening regional and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the field of green hydrogen. The SoutH2 Corridor project aims to transport 4 million tons of green hydrogen annually from Algeria to the three European countries across a 3,000 km pipeline—a volume representing approximately 10% of Europe's projected demand for clean fuel by 2040. The declaration also underscores the importance of political backing for the continued development and ultimate success of the South Hydrogen Corridor through the establishment of a regular, structured dialogue among partner nations. The signatories expressed their full commitment to working together to develop a fruitful cross-Mediterranean energy partnership and to contribute to the growth and prosperity of mutual economic relations.

The government of Bangladesh has strongly condemned the Houthi drone attack on the Taibah electricity station in the Holy City of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The deliberate targeting of vital civilian infrastructure that serves the Prophet's Mosque is an unacceptable assault on the sanctity of Islam's holiest sites, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. The government of Bangladesh said it stands in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in defending its security and sovereignty. Bangladesh firmly rejected any act of aggression that harms the regional peace and stability, it said. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis ‌said the group has recently attacked a power distribution station in Madinah, which supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque.

Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Prof Rehman Sobhan has said Bangladesh needs to respond to the changing global economic order by focusing primarily on its economic interests and urged the country to integrate its value chains more strongly with the growing opportunities in Asia. He said Bangladesh’s position as a relatively minor player in the global system gave it flexibility, and its interest lay in a stable world order where external factors will not frustrate its economic opportunities. “What we need, obviously, to do is to do the most obvious things, to strengthen our value chains across the world,” he said while speaking on the "New International Economic Disorder: Implications for Bangladesh" on the opening day of the three-day international conference – Bay of Bengal Conversation – at a city hotel on Saturday. Sobhan said Bangladesh has remained constrained by a narrow range of export markets, while its major import sources and, increasingly, its sources of capital are located within the Asian region.

A group of demonstrators in Kolkata submitted a memorandum to the Bangladesh mission on Saturday, demanding the release of spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagran Jote and former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. Around 100 people under the banner of Vivekananda Mission Sheba Protishthan and a political party, Nationalist Citizens Party of India, took part in a procession that started from Sealdah Railway Station and was stopped by police at a place close to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, a source at the Bangladesh Mission told UNB. Police escorted five representatives of the protesters to the Chancery, where the Head of Chancery and Second Secretary of the Bangladesh mission received a memorandum. During the handover of the memorandum, representatives of the two organisations thanked Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for allocating additional funds for Durga Puja and extending the Durga Puja holidays to five days. They also wished the Prime Minister good health. The procession and demonstration ended peacefully. The representatives expressed hope that the Bangladesh government would ensure the security of minorities during Durga Puja and beyond, and ensure justice and the earliest possible release of Chinmoy Krishna Das. As the event had been organised with prior consent and permission, the Bangladesh Mission ensured appropriate security measures in coordination with the local authorities.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Saturday said Bangladesh wants to pursue its foreign policy independently while remaining open to cooperation with the international community. “We don't want to be a chessboard for other players to play. We want to play on our own terms. We are ready to negotiate, collaborate and partner with the rest of the world with our head held high,” she said. Speaking at a panel discussion titled “A World Rewritten: Power, Technology and Trust in the Age of Uncertainty” as part of the three-day Bay of Bengal Conversation, the State Minister said Bangladesh is now in a position where it is holding its head high. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman spoke as the chief guest at the inaugural session. Former President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadić, Distinguished Professor at Illinois State University, USA, Ali Riaz, Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangladesh Alexander Falck-Bilden, Member of Parliament of Montenegro Gordan Stojović, and Editor-at-Large of TIME Magazine, Singapore, Charles Thomas Campbell took part in the first panel discussion. “But of course, remembering that the most important thing in our foreign policy is the interest of our people,” Shama said. Seeking broader international cooperation to resolve the Rohingya crisis, she said Bangladesh wants to cooperate with countries across South Asia, Asia and beyond as part of its economic diplomacy. “As far as economic diplomacy goes, we believe in collaborating and working with all the nations in South Asia, Asia, and elsewhere. We want to collaborate with everyone. We want Bangladesh to become a hub because we have the demographic dividend,” she said. “We have the people, and when we talk about power, I believe our people is our power,” Shama said.  

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday highlighted the need for continuous dialogue, mutual respect and trust between the two countries to address bilateral issues, saying every issue between the two neighbours has a solution. “There’s no point hiding the issues, and there’s no point not talking about the issues,” he said while speaking at a discussion titled “Power and Prudence: Managing Great-Power Competition without Conflict” as part of the ongoing Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka. Trivedi, who faced a couple of questions, said the two countries need to discuss all outstanding issues, including water, trade, culture, sports, communication and transportation, through appropriate forums. “In a democracy, the dialogue has to be there at the proper forum. And the dialogue has to be a continuous dialogue,” he said, noting that the process of engagement between the two countries may be slow, but it has not stopped. “I can guarantee you, there is no stoppage of process. The process is ongoing,” Trivedi said. “Believe me, there has to be a solution, and there will be a solution,” the Indian diplomat added.

Stressing that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was not brought to India by the Indian Air Force or Indian Army, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday said the legal process concerning Bangladesh’s request for her extradition is ongoing, and no timeframe can be given as courts are involved. “To give you a straight answer, again and again, the government of India, through the Spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has replied to this that there is a process, and the process involves legality, and it is well structured. So, as far as that is concerned, the process is on,” Trivedi said. The Indian envoy made the remarks while responding to a question during a panel discussion titled "Power and Prudence: Managing Great Power Competition without Conflict" as part of the three-day Bay of Bengal Conversation that began in Dhaka. He said the courts are involved in the matter and therefore “nobody can give you a timeframe.” Trivedi also referred to the circumstances under which Hasina came to India after leaving Bangladesh in August 2024, saying the Indian authorities were not prepared for the situation.

South Korea has appreciated Bangladesh’s interest in strengthening bilateral defence relations and expressed readiness to explore opportunities for greater cooperation in mutually agreed areas, including training, capacity-building and peacekeeping. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir held separate meetings with Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo and Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Doo-hee in Seoul on Friday, discussing issues of mutual interest with particular focus on political and economic cooperation. The meetings reaffirmed the shared commitment of Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea to further consolidate their long-standing partnership and expand cooperation for mutual benefit, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With Vice Minister Park, the state minister conveyed Bangladesh's readiness to work closely with the Korean government to deepen long-standing friendly relations. He handed over an invitation letter from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. Kobir appreciated Korea's remarkable transformation into a global economic and technological leader, noting its development experience continues to inspire Bangladesh. He expressed satisfaction at regular Foreign Office Consultations and other high-level exchanges, and reaffirmed Bangladesh's support for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The state minister welcomed progress towards concluding the Bangladesh-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and hoped for its early signing. He called for greater bilateral trade and investment, enhanced market access for Bangladeshi products, and increased Korean investment in semiconductors, electronics, shipbuilding, light engineering, high-end ready-made garments, ICT and other technology-intensive sectors. Kobir also highlighted opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, logistics, digital transformation, skills development and services, seeking Korean support for greater employment opportunities for Bangladeshi skilled and semi-skilled workers through the Employment Permit System. Appreciating Korea's development partnership, he sought enhanced cooperation in climate resilience, infrastructure, human-resource development, technical and vocational education and digital technologies. The state minister expressed appreciation for Korea's humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas and sought continued support for their early and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues, reaffirming the importance of cooperation in multilateral fora. During the meeting with Korean Vice Minister for National Defence Lee, the two sides discussed further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, including training, capacity-building, UN peacekeeping and defence industry cooperation. Kobir appreciated Korea’s cooperation in training and capacity-building of Bangladesh’s armed forces, police and civil defence personnel, and requested continued and expanded opportunities for specialised training. He also encouraged the Korean side to send military personnel to participate in specialised courses offered by the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The state minister informed the Korean side that Bangladesh is in the process of establishing a defence industrial zone and invited Korean interest in exploring investment opportunities in the initiative, with a view to promoting technology, industrial cooperation and mutual economic benefits.