Foreign-Affairs
We're not here to mediate or interfere in politics: EU Ambassador
European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley on Tuesday said they are not here to "mediate or interfere" in politics in Bangladesh but they are here to meet and listen to all political parties to understand the situation.
He, however, said they “of course want to see free and fair elections” in Bangladesh without any violence and that he thinks all Bangladeshis want to see the same.
The EU Ambassador made remarks while responding to a question on the next national election in Bangladesh.
Diplomats from the EU countries joined the media conference hosted at a hotel in Dhaka, marking Europe Day 2023.
The European Union will send an exploratory election monitoring mission in July. The EU has already received a written invitation from the Bangladesh Election Commission.
The EU Ambassador recently had a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.
The EU envoy said despite the impacts of pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh’s exports to EU went up by 50 percent.
“That's amazing! What we want to do in the coming years is to make sure there's a smooth transition to GSP plus, and the guidelines for doing that are very clear. As you probably know, by now, it means ratifying and implementing 32 conventions on environmental, labor and human rights standards,” Whiteley said.
“To make sure it happens smoothly, we will have a European Chamber of Commerce becoming operational this year,” he added.
“We're also working on and will launch negotiations on a new generation agreement — what we call ‘partnership and cooperation agreement’ or PCA,” he further said.
This new agreement will cover all sorts of policy areas — from climate change, energy, cybersecurity, maritime science, technology and also trade.
He said the EU is changing the way it supports Bangladesh.
“We no longer refer to ourselves as development partners. We're international partners, and one of the vehicles for that international partnership now in terms of assistance is the Global Gateway scheme,” the envoy said.
“I'm very happy that here in Bangladesh, we will have a flagship program on the Global Gateway, as you might know, it is designed to support infrastructure around the world,” the EU Ambassador said.
Northeast a 'natural hub' to boost trade, people-to-people ties between Bangladesh and India: Envoy
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, has described the northeast region of India as a "natural hub" for boosting trade and people-to-people ties between Bangladesh and India.
He invited entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to take full advantage of the emerging opportunities in the fast growing economy of the northeastern Indian states and further explore the potential of bilateral trade and investment.
Industries Minister of Bangladesh Nurul Majid Humayun and High Commissioner Pranay Verma were invited by the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) to address a seminar organized by FBCCI on “Investment Opportunities between North East India and Bangladesh” on May 8.
The event was also joined by a visiting delegation from India’s northeastern state of Nagaland.
High Commissioner Verma highlighted the recent initiatives taken to develop greater cross-border connectivity, trade infrastructure, and economic linkages between the northeastern states of India and Bangladesh.
He commended IBCCI’s initiative in organizing exchange visits of business delegations and urged both sides to transform their geographical proximity into new economic opportunities and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Shahriar Alam thanks Saudi govt for helping evacuate 136 Bangladeshis
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has expressed his gratitude to the government of Saudi Arabia for initially helping to bring back 136 Bangladeshis from crisis-hit Sudan.
"Though it is taking longer to bring back the rest of the Bangladeshis, we have alternatively instructed the authorities concerned to hire ships from Jeddah or somewhere nearby so that it is possible to bring everyone to Jeddah in two or three phases," the state minister said.
Read: Sudan conflict: 136 Bangladeshi evacuees arrive in Dhaka
"We know many of you are facing various problems but we have ensured your safety and are keeping an eye on food and accommodation issues in Port Sudan,” he said.
He also requested all to cooperate and hoped that the suffering of the people who are stranded in Sudan would ease soon.
Read: Govt to provide all possible financial assistance to returnees from Sudan: Minister
On Monday, 136 Bangladeshi nationals arrived in Dhaka via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed welcomed the Bangladeshi nationals at Dhaka airport.
Amit Shah visits shutters trade at Benapole for two days
Trade through the Benapole-Petrapole closed for two days on Monday (May 8-9) in light of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah's scheduled visit to Petrapole, the Indian side of the land port facility, on Tuesday.
Shah is scheduled to attend the inauguration of a number of programmes and installations, mainly to strengthen security, at the port on the Indian side, according to sources there.
Shashank Shekhar Bhattacharya, president of Petrapole C&F Staff Welfare Association, confirmed the matter quoting the Petrapole Land Port Authority of India.
On the Bangladesh side, Benapole Land Port Director Abdul Jalil said there will be no activity with India through the port today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) as the Union Home Minister of India will visit the Petrapole port on Tuesday.
Benapole-Petrapole is by far the largest of the nine Integrated Check Posts the two countries share, accounting for $2.5 billion in bilateral trade annually, according to the World Bank. So the home minister's visit will cost the people of the two countries, given that you need to shut down everything for two days.
However, the movement of passengers will be normal. Besides, the country's ports and customs operations will also continue as normal, Abdul Jalil assured reporters.
Exhibition on Nuremberg Trials held at Russian Embassy
A photo exhibition titled “Nuremberg Trials: The view from Moscow” was held at the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Monday, side-by-side with the screening of the film 'Nuremberg'.Russian Ambassador Alexander V Mantytskiy inaugurated the event, said a press release of the Embassy.The event was held in collaboration with Russia House - descendant of the Russian Cultural Centre that used to be a hotbed of youth culture in Dhaka, and with the informational data support of the Russian non-profit organisation Alexander Pechersky Foundation."The trials over major Nazi war criminals began in Nuremberg, which went down in history as the Verdict of Nations, Russia being liberator of Europe from the Nazi plague and one of the originators of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg,” noted the Russian ambassadorThe ambassador reminded that the Nuremberg Tribunal was held to bring a harsh but fair judgment to the Nazi criminals and also to promote a comprehensive assessment of the tragic lessons of the Second World War and the causes that led to the rise of Nazism.Bangladeshi dignitaries and politicians, representatives of educational institutions and SAAB, students from various colleges and universities, Russian compatriots, attended the event , among others.
Beijing impressed by Bangladesh’s rapid dev under PM Hasina’s leadership: Ambassador Yao
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has said his country is encouraged to see Bangladesh’s rapid development, noting that the South Asian country will see further progress as it has a “strong leader” like Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Our final objective is common development,” he said, adding that Bangladesh is already a model for many countries in the world in terms of development.
Ambassador Yao was speaking at the pre-departure reception on Sunday evening in honour of the Bangladeshi participants attending 2023 Chinese government training programmes.
He said the participants of the first batch of the training are very lucky as such visits have resumed after three years of Covid-19 related restrictions.
Yao said this programme will help the participants study China in a better way as the two countries eye strengthening bilateral relations on all aspects.
Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy Song Yang, Senior Fellow and Secretary General of China and South Asia, Center Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), China Liu Zongyi, Professor, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University, China Lin Minwang and Assistant Research Fellow, Institute for International Strategic and Security Studies, SIIS, China LI Hongmei, among others, were present.
In 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a “historic visit” to Bangladesh and, together with PM Hasina, uplifted the bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership of cooperation”.
Appreciating the Chinese government’s initiative, the participants said tomorrow's Bangladesh requires intellectual and skilled people like in China to achieve its goals by 2041.
They said Bangladesh is in need of skilled people and the programme will be useful for them.
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship: US Embassy invites applications from Bangladeshi professionals
The US Embassy has announced the annual call for applications for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program for the 2024-2025 academic year.
This unique, one-year program is open to Bangladeshi professionals (application deadline: July 1, 2023) currently working in the public and private sectors, including local and international non-governmental organizations, said the Embassy on Monday (May 08, 2023).
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is one of the U.S. government’s prestigious Fulbright programs that brings accomplished mid-career professionals to the United States for a year of non-degree, graduate-level study, leadership development, and substantive professional collaboration with U.S. counterparts.
By providing future leaders and policy makers with exposure to U.S. society, culture, and professional fields, the program seeks to develop lasting, productive ties between program participants and their Americans counterparts.
Read More: 42 Islamic University students win Science and Technology Fellowship
Fellowships are offered in the areas such as Human and Institutional Capacity, Rights and Freedoms, Sustainable Lands, and Thriving Communities, including Public Health, Education Management, Communication and Journalism, Law and Human Rights, Natural Resources, Environment Policy, and Climate Change.
Over the past few decades, nearly 100 Bangladeshi professionals have participated in this prestigious exchange program.
Humphrey alumni include physicians, government officials, journalists, educators, and many leaders from public and private organizations.
The Humphrey Fellowship covers tuition and fees for the fellow's academic programs, a monthly maintenance stipend, insurance coverage, an allowance for books and supplies, round-trip international airfare, supplementary funds for professional activities such as field trips and conferences, and expenses in connection with internships.
Read More: US programme awards fellowships to 23 young Bangladeshi political leaders
Govt to provide all possible financial assistance to returnees from Sudan: Minister
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed on Monday said the government will provide all possible financial assistance to returnees from Sudan, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be offering their support as well.
“Our primary goal is to alleviate any inconvenience you may face during this difficult time,” he said while receiving the returnees at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
He said, "Don't worry. You have contributed significantly to our country, but unfortunately, you've lost everything in Sudan. Now, each of you is returning empty-handed. Rest assured, we are here to help and support you.”
The 136 Bangladeshi nationals who arrived this morning at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were supported by IOM with air tickets through its internal emergency assistance funding mechanisms to travel from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Dhaka Bangladesh with the coordinated support from the Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Read more: Sudan conflict: 136 Bangladeshi evacuees arrive in Dhaka
Upon arrival the returnees were provided with hot meals, refreshments and onward transportation allowance from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board (Tk 3,000) and IOM (Tk 2,000), facilitating their safe return back to their places of origin.
Expat Bangladeshis celebrate victory of Australian Labor Party in New South Wales election
Expatriate Bangladeshis in Australia have celebrated the victory of the Australian Labor Party as it won in the New South Wales election.
Bangladesh community members and Australian parliament members joined the celebrations where they appreciated Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said a media release.
The contribution of expatriate Bangladeshis as a part of multinational society in this election is significant, said the organizers.
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Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia M. Allama Siddiki spoke at the function as the chief guest.
Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis, Minister Jihad DIB, Councilor Masood Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Noman Shamim, Shahriar Pavel, Ali Ashraf Himel, Mohiuddin Mahi and leaders of Sydney's Bengali community and various cultural and social organizations were also present.
Sudan conflict: 136 Bangladeshi evacuees arrive in Dhaka
A total of 136 Bangladeshi nationals, who were among those stranded in crisis-hit Sudan, arrived in Dhaka via Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Monday (May 08, 2023), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Bangladeshi nationals left Jeddah around 1am Monday and reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 10:30 am, said Seheli Sabrin, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed welcomed the Bangladeshi nationals at the airport.
Read: 135 Bangladeshi evacuees reach Jeddah from crisis-hit Sudan