Foreign-Affairs
Cabinet okays Bhutan's use of land and sea ports
The cabinet has permitted neighboring country Bhutan to use Bangladesh’s land and sea ports for the country’s import and export on Monday.
The approval came from a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office today.
“Bhutan is a landlocked country. They have no river or sea port of their own for import-export. Therefore, they get similar opportunities from India also. Now they are getting an opportunity to use Bangladesh’s land and ports”, said Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain after the meeting at the Secretariat.
Mentioning that Bhutan can use Bangladesh’s land and ports for import-export under this agreement, the secretary said, “After signing, this agreement will be sent to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) now. Then NBR will decide the rate of revenue for them (Bhutanese vehicles).”
“After finalising everything, the agreement will be signed,” he added.
At present, Bangladesh has a transit agreement with India which permits the neighboring country to use some sea ports and roads of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, Australia discuss Indo-Pacific, IORA, security cooperation
Bangladesh and Australia have shown interest in deepening and widening their economic cooperation.
Also, both sides discussed the Indo-Pacific strategy, Indian Ocean Rim Association, security and defence cooperation, human rights, cyber security, energy cooperation, and people-to-people contact.
The 4th Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Australia was held at the state guest house Padma in the capital on March 13.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Secretary (West) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury and the Australian side was led by First Assistant Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Gary Cowan.
The concerned officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Education, Information and Communication Technology Division, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Armed Forces Division also represented the Bangladesh side.
During the meeting, various bilateral, regional, international, economic, and issues related to the mutual interests of Bangladesh and Australia were discussed.
The Australian delegation expressed its interest in working more closely with Bangladesh in various regional and international forums while appreciating the country's economic and social development.
The Bangladesh side placed importance on dealing with climate change, sustainable solutions to the Rohingya crisis, and cooperation in human resource development.
The next FOC will be held in Australia in 2024.
The 3rd FOC between Bangladesh and Australia was held online in 2021.
MoU signed to foster sustainable aquaculture development in Bangladesh
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Fisheries and a Dutch-Bangladeshi consortium, jointly coordinated by the Netherlands-based Larive International and Bangladesh's LightCastle Partners, on Sunday for promoting sustainable aquaculture development in Bangladesh.
The MoU was signed between the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, and a Dutch-Bangladeshi consortium, jointly coordinated by Netherlands-based Larive International and LightCastle Partners, a Bangladeshi management consulting firm.
Khondoker Mahbubul Haque, Director General of DoF, and Matthias J. Brienen, Director of Larive International, signed the MoU at the conference room of DoF on behalf of their respective sides.
The cooperation between the parties will support the implementation of the four-year-long FoodTechBangladesh project that aims to improve the productivity of shrimp and fish hatcheries and farmers in the country through technology and knowledge transfer, capacity building, and demonstration of advanced hatching and farming practices.
Under the MoU, 75 DoF officials including field-level extension officers will receive capacity development training on advanced aquaculture technologies and farming methods.
The consortium will also collaborate with DoF to develop a training curriculum for providing technical assistance to 1600 shrimp and fish hatchery operators and farmers.
The collaboration will facilitate an enabling environment for joint investments and business activities between Dutch and Bangladeshi private sectors in aquaculture to enhance its competitiveness and growth.
Supported by the Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh, three Centres of Excellence (demonstration farms) will be established in Sylhet, Khulna, and Cox’s Bazar under the FoodTechBangladesh project.
Those centres will focus on disseminating technologies and best practices to farmers for increasing shrimp and fish production in the country while ensuring international food safety standards.
Furthermore, the consortium will upgrade an aqua feed line in Dhaka to increase the availability of domestically produced specialized shrimp feed.
Addressing the ceremony, Khondoker Mahbubul Haque, Director General of DoF, said, “We are working on technological integration and automation to increase aquaculture production. Through this collaboration, we share the common goal of strengthening the technical capacity of our extension personnel and disseminating effective technologies and sustainable farming practices to our farmers”.
Emphasizing the potential impact of the Dutch-Bangladeshi partnership on sustainable aquaculture growth, Matthias Brienen, Director of Larive International, said, “There is an opportunity to support the fish and shrimp hatchery operators and farmers in Bangladesh by transferring Dutch expertise and farming technologies. We look forward to working closely with DoF to develop capacity and enhance performance across the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh”.
The signing ceremony was attended by Zahedul Amin, Director, LightCastle Partners and other senior officials from DoF and representatives from Larive, LightCastle, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh.
The FoodTechBangladesh project is conceptualized and led by Netherlands-based Larive International in close collaboration with its Bangladesh-based affiliate LightCastle Partners and the Netherlands Embassy in Dhaka.
The consortium also includes Aftab Bahumukhi Farms Ltd., Gemini Sea Food Ltd., Nutreco, and Viqon.
At present, 3.57% of the total GDP and 26.50% of agricultural GDP comes from the fisheries sector. About two crore people in various ways are involved in this sector for their livelihood.
Bangladesh welcomes renewed ties between Iran, Saudi Arabia: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh is a peace-loving country and welcomes the move by Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties.
"We believe that it will contribute to reducing tension and conflict in the Gulf region, foster stability, and create the path for durable and sustainable long-term peace for the betterment of the brotherly peoples in the Middle East region," he told media Sunday.
"Bangladesh lauds the role played by China, Iraq, and Oman for facilitating the negotiation, leading to the successful breakthrough," he added.
Iran and Saudi Arabia Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions. The major diplomatic breakthrough negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals – both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region.
The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People's Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the US slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with China, which brokered the agreement as President Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term as leader earlier Friday.
Momen urges GCA to continue advocacy for mobilising financing for climate adaptation
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has urged the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) to continue its advocacy for mobilising financing for climate adaptation.
Patrick V Verkooijen, chief executive officer (CEO) of GCA, called on Momen at state guest house Padma in the capital Sunday.
The GCA CEO sought the support of vulnerable countries like Bangladesh to stress the importance of doubling adaptation financing.
The two sides regretted the limited amount of funding available under the much-anticipated Adaptation Fund. They also exchanged views on the water-climate nexus and the issues that may be highlighted from a climate adaptation perspective at the UN Water Conference during March 22-24, 2023 in New York.
Momen responded positively to work with the GCA on scaling up climate adaptation efforts on a regional basis, including through a high-level meeting in Dhaka later this year.
Momen urges UK to play more decisive role in ensuring early repatriation of Rohingyas
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday urged the international community, including the UK to play a more decisive role in ensuring the voluntary, safe and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland in Myanmar at an early date.
Momen made the call as UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan met him at the foreign ministry.
The foreign minister also briefed the UK minister about the facilities created in Bhasan Char for the Rohingyas.
Bangladesh, Nepal have enormous opportunities to work together for smooth LDC graduation: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Sunday said Bangladesh and Nepal will graduate from LDC in 2026; so, both countries have enormous opportunities to work together for a smooth LDC graduation.
He said energy, tourism, education, migration, and connectivity between these countries have many untapped potentials for cooperation.
Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar, Momen emphasised exploring possibilities of a free trade agreement and increasing two-way trade for shared prosperity.
The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar "Celebrating 50 Years of Bangladesh-Nepal Friendship: Shared Vision of Peace, Progress and Prosperity" in the capital.
Major General Sheikh Pasha Habib Uddin, director general of BIISS, delivered the welcome remarks.
Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari, Swarnim Wagle, chair of the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) Kathmandu, and Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, rector of the Foreign Service Academy, Bangladesh, made presentations.
'We want to hold credible, acceptable election,' Momen tells UK minister
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said the next election in Bangladesh will be held transparently and fairly.
"You don't need to worry about it. We want to hold a free, fair, transparent, credible, and acceptable election," he told UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan Sunday.
Momen spoke to the journalists after the UK minister called on him at the foreign ministry. The foreign minister said the UK side did not raise the issue but he brought it up himself.
The foreign minister said the government has set up the required institutions to hold a credible election, including a "very strong and independent" election commission.
Momen hoped that people would vote for the Awami League again for the "massive development and stability" they have achieved.
Apparel export to EU up 14.3% during July-February of FY23
The European Union's (EU) apparel imports from Bangladesh saw 14.29 percent growth during the first eight months of fiscal 2022-23, $15.72 billion from $13.75 billion in July-February FY22, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
Germany being the largest European market fetched $4.62 billion, marking a 1.03 percent negative growth compared to the same period of the previous year.
Apparel exports to France and Spain rose by 27.65 percent ($1.89 billion) and 18.79 percent (2.35 billion), respectively.
However, exports to Bulgaria and Poland showed 51.21 percent and 15.06 percent year-on-year negative growth.
"During the mentioned period, our exports to the US fell by 2.87 percent year-on-year. However, apparel exports to Canada and the UK saw 20.05 percent and 14.52 percent year-on-year growth, respectively," Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Director Md Mohiuddin Rubel said.
"During the first eight months of FY23, our exports to the US, the UK and Canada were $5.68 billion, $3.36 billion, and $980 million, respectively," he added.
"At the same time, exports to the non-traditional markets increased by 35.02 percent to $5.69 billion. Among the major non-traditional markets, our exports to Japan, Australia, India and South Korea reached $1.07 billion, $767.75 million, $753.92 million and $387.63 million, respectively," Rubel said.
Also read: 2022 was a year of turning around: BGMEA
Russian envoy assures JS speaker of desire to continue cooperation
Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy has said his country wants to continue cooperation with Dhaka – namely, in trade and economy, and the implementation of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant – despite the "sanctions pressure by the US and the countries of the collective West"
Mantytskiy said this during a meeting with the Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
During the conversation Thursday, the mutual commitment to strengthening friendly relations between the parliaments of Russia and Bangladesh was confirmed, including under the auspices of the relevant friendship groups established for the exchange of the best practices of national legislation.
Read more: Moscow thanks Dhaka in light of UN vote