Foreign-Affairs
UN expert lauds Bangladesh's role in global discourse on safe, orderly, regular migration
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights on Migrants Felipe Gonzalez Morales on Sunday appreciated Bangladesh's proactive role in the global discourse on safe, orderly and regular migration.
The UN special rapporteur, who will be in Bangladesh till January 31, met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and discussed issues of mutual interest.
During the meeting, the foreign secretary briefed the special rapporteur about various measures undertaken by the government to ensure the welfare of Bangladeshi migrant workers abroad.
The two sides also discussed various aspects and challenges, including irregular migration, climate-induced displacement, skill development and matching, and migrant workers in Bangladesh.
Pilot project of Rohingya repatriation to be executed at an early date, hopes Shahriar
Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has expressed optimism that the “pilot project” of Rohingya repatriation would be executed at an early date.
He thanked China for its “active role” in a trilateral initiative among Bangladesh, Myanmar and China to provide a platform for dialogue to promote the early return of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.
Newly appointed Ambassador of China to Bangladesh Yao Wen met the State Minister for Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (January 22, 2023) afternoon and discussed the issues of mutual interest.
Responding to a question on Rohingya repatriation, Ambassador Wen said they have a common objective with Bangladesh regarding repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland.
Also Read: Will continue to work toward resolution of Rohingya issue: Japan
He recognised Bangladesh's "sacrifice" in hosting the huge number of Rohingyas and assured of playing its role for their repatriation.
“We discussed the issue. You pay a lot. You suffered a lot. You sacrificed a lot. We have the common objective (repatriation),”said Ambassador Wen.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char and not a single Rohingya has been repatriated over the last six years.
The State Minister also highlighted the importance of establishing direct air connectivity and requested the Chinese Ambassador to consider Bangladesh as a suitable place for industry relocation from China, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also Read: Over 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted deadly sea crossings in 2022
The Chinese Ambassador showed interest to conclude a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on PPP for the growth of bilateral trade and commerce.
State Minister Alam hoped that the bilateral relations between the two countries would reach new heights during the tenure of the new Ambassador.
Both sides cordially exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation of mutual interests, including trade and investment, infrastructure development, connectivity and Covid situation.
Congratulating the new Ambassador on the Chinese New Year’s Day, the State Minister thanked China for being the largest bilateral trade partner of Bangladesh.
Read More: China will remain engaged in Bangladesh’s next stage of development journey: Momen
During the meeting, he also thanked the Chinese government for its support in dealing with Covid-19 pandemic and the repatriation of Bangladeshi students from China and their subsequent return to China to continue their higher studies.
He wished Ambassador Yao successful tenure in Bangladesh and assured him of full cooperation in discharge of his duties.
Dr Fahmida recommends market monitoring by government
Emphasizing the issue of market distortion, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun has recommended market monitoring by the government and claimed that a significant group of people manipulates the market.
She pinpointed the ongoing economic instability globally and locally, addressing the issues of outrageous price rise of commodities, banking health, fiscal policies and external factors affecting the local economy.
Dr Fahmida, while speaking at a roundtable on Saturday, also discussed the dependence of Bangladesh on fuel imports and fuel price hikes affecting the production level. The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) hosted the monthly roundtable titled, ‘War, Famine and Turbulence: Global Trends 2023’ featuring three speakers - Dr Fahmida
Khatun, former Ambassador Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Mahmud Hussain and security analyst Shafqat Munir.
Also read: CPD's Fahmida made member of UNCTAD’s advisory board
The roundtable was moderated by BIPSS President Major General (Retd) ANM Muniruzzaman. The moderator initially highlighted the post-Covid issues being faced by the current world today, such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict, possibilities of an accidental escalation, economic downturns, food security, geo-political competition, climate security, elections in South Asia, disruptive technology, metaverse and the brand new front of artificial intelligence (AI).
Mahmud Hussain mentioned that the current Ukraine-Russia war would empty Europe’s energy storage if further escalation occurred.
The former ambassador and expert recommended institutional developments for Bangladesh to ensure sustainable preparedness in the future.
He stated that further worsening of the war would lead to a global price rise of fuel, putting a strain on Bangladesh's energy security.
Security analyst Shafqat Munir tapped into the untapped aspects of global affairs like geo-political competitions and confrontations.
He stated that further studies are required on geo-political competition and confrontations nearby, which may directly impact Bangladesh due to its geographical location.
Furthermore, he said, the interconnection between technology and security was discussed, along with the importance and vitality of disruptive technology, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and metaverse.
According to the security analyst, these technologies, if they land in the wrong hand, could create new security challenges for the country.
Munir opined on the question of national security that all Bangladeshis should speak in one voice. He mentioned the possible accidental escalations in the global arena.
It is high time to work together on more projects, investment areas: Chinese Envoy
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Sunday said it is high time to work together to have more projects and investment from China overcoming the common challenges ahead.
"We find that there is a great potential to work together on high level visits and economic development," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ambassador said China can do a lot and the two countries can work together for a better future.
“That is something China can do together to overcome common challenges faced by the two countries,” Ambassador Wen said, referring to the challenges of Covid-19 and also problems that emerged amid the situation in Ukraine.
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s vision for 2041, the Chinese envoy said Bangladesh is now stepping into Smart Bangladesh from Digital Bangladesh and assured of his country’s support to that end.
Also Read: Gate of Dhaka-Beijing cooperation opens wider: Ambassador Wen
“I am confident that during my tenure I can work together with Bangladesh. China can do a lot. We can support each other. We can work together for the better future of our bilateral relationship,” he said.
Responding to a question on Rohingya repatriation, Ambassador Wen said they have a common objective with Bangladesh regarding repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland.
He recognised Bangladesh's "sacrifice" in hosting the huge number of Rohingyas and assured of playing its role for their repatriation.
“We discussed the issue. You pay a lot. You suffered a lot. You sacrificed a lot. We have the common objective (repatriation),”said Ambassador Wen.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char and not a single Rohingya has been repatriated over the last six years.
Earlier, the Chinese Ambassador had separate meetings with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and discussed the Rohingya issues apart from other bilateral issues.
“We discussed ways to expand bilateral ties,” said the Ambassador.
Bangladesh won’t accept those Russian ships which are under sanctions: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh will not accept those Russian ships which are under sanctions, noting that Bangladesh has developed a good relationship with the United States of America (USA).
“It is surprising that Russia knowingly sent a sanctioned ship by changing its name. We did not expect it. Now, we expect that Russia will send things by non-sanctioned ships,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Momen said Russia has hundreds of ships and there are 69 Russian ships which are under sanctions.
Bangladesh has conveyed to the Russian side that they can send any ship except those sanctioned 69 ships carrying equipment for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
Momen hoped that Russia would now send non-sanctioned ships carrying required materials.
Sanctioned Russian ship Sparta III (Ursa Major) was scheduled to dock at Mongla port in the southwestern part of the country at the end of December last year and unload cargo destined for the Rooppur NPP in Pabna.
Also read: Bangladesh's growing economy entices US to maintain good relations: FM
But the authorities denied the ship permission to dock at the port after officials got a letter from the US Embassy in Dhaka saying that the ship was on a list of Russian ships sanctioned by the US.
The vessel is en route to the port of Shanghai, China, sailing at a speed of 10.4 knots and expected to arrive there on January 31, according to vesselfinder.com which provides real-time vessel data.
Border Issues
Responding to a question on the situation along Bangladesh-Myanmar border, the Foreign Minister said what happened in the zero line is very unfortunate.
"We protect our border. We remain alert. Naturally there is panic on our side amid fighting," he said.
At least one person reportedly belonging to a separatist group was killed and several others were injured in an hours-long gun battle between two armed militant forces inside Myanmar along the border with Bangladesh on Wednesday, media reported.
The fighting took place near the no-man’s land at Ghumdhum-Tumbru frontline in Bangladesh’s southeastern border district of Bandarban on Wednesday.
Momen said they are in discussion at various levels but they do not discuss with rebels. "We are protecting our own areas."
Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen will meet him tomorrow (Monday) and the situation along Bangladesh-Myanmar border is likely to come up for discussion.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh did not allow anyone to enter afresh amid conflicts on the Myanmar side.
He said Bangladesh remains vigilant so that the country does not face any problem. “We want to see that this conflict is stopped. But it is up to two conflicting groups there,” Momen said, noting that there is weakness on the Myanmar side to deal with the situation.
Asked whether Bangladesh will seek China’s support to keep border areas peaceful, the Foreign Minister said Bangladesh always seeks support from China as China has enough leverage on Myanmar. “We keep them informed.”
The Chinese Ambassador had separate meetings with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday.
Bangladesh strongly condemns burning Holy Quran in Sweden
Bangladesh has strongly condemned burning of the Holy Quran by a far-right leader on January 21, 2023 in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Stockholm, Sweden.
“Bangladesh expresses grave concern over the act of insulting the sacred values of the Muslims all over the world in the guise of freedom of expression,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
“Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance,” the ministry said.
Also read: MoFa holds training on e-governance on easy and quick services
Bangladesh believes that freedom of religion must be upheld and respected under any circumstance, it added.
Bangladesh also urged all concerned to refrain from unwarranted provocation for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.
Tauhedul a brilliant, intelligent diplomat, I'll continue to defend him: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Saturday said Md Tauhedul Islam, chosen for Austria as Bangladesh ambassador, is a very "bright and intelligent" diplomat but he might have enemies who are trying to pull him down.
"He is a very good officer. He is very bright and intelligent. He is a doer. He is a performer. I will continue to defend him as long as I am here," he told reporters while responding to a question.
The foreign minister said some people always try to pull down good people like Tauhedul who is a "success story' and blamed his friends.
Momen said there had been many investigations but all the allegations brought against him proved to be false.
As a member of the Bangladesh delegation to the UN Headquarters, Ambassador Tauhedul made notable contributions on the global stage, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His role was instrumental in drafting several crucial UN Resolutions, including that on rights and privileges of the persons living with autism spectrum disorder and other special disabilities, a people-centric model for a new development paradigm, and the post-MDG development agenda (being considered today as the forerunner of the ongoing SDG discourse).
Tauhedul assumed his charge in Singapore as the high commissioner of Bangladesh on September 29, 2020.
He served in China's Kunming as the consul general of Bangladesh. Before that, he served as director-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bangladesh's consul general in Italy's Milan.
Tauhedul also served at Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Bangladesh Embassy in Jakarta, and Bangladesh Consulate General in Los Angeles in different capacities.
The ambassador, while working at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, was elected as the vice-president of the Second Committee, 67th Session of the UNGA.
Tauhedul served in different capacities at various bilateral and multilateral wings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Germany to assist with technology to monitor soil: Agriculture Minister
Minister for Agriculture Dr Abdur Razzak said German businesspeople will assist Bangladesh in monitoring the quality of soil through satellite technology to boost agricultural production.
He said this after a meeting with the Germany Agriculture Alliance and leading agriculture businesses in Berlin on Friday.
The minister said several issues including establishment of Better Life Farming, implementation of global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and assistance in agricultural products were discussed at the meeting.
He said pilot programmes on the issues will be taken soon in the country.
Also Read: Bangladesh, France keen to build partnership in aviation, space, aerospace technology
Germany Agriculture Alliance Chairperson Julia Harnal, Managing Director Elina, Global GAP Director Christina Mueller, Deutschland Managing Director Peter Mueller, Additional Secretary to Bangladeshi Agricultural Ministry Md Ruhul Amin Talukdar and Minister for Bangladesh Embassy in Berlin Md Saiful Islam among others were present in the meeting.
Besides, Minister Razzak had a bilateral meeting with Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Indo-Pacific: Shahriar Alam says healthy competition promotes growth, leads to prosperity
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Saturday said Bangladesh has been conducting “constructive engagement” with the countries in the region in a “fair, friendly, equitable and inclusive” manner.
He appreciated think-tanks like Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs which are proactively contributing to shaping Bangladesh's possible approach to this emerging area of interest.
“We will hopefully come out with our own strategy (on Indo-Pacific) very soon. And I believe that will be in line with our international partners and adhering to an inclusive approach to the Indo Pacific, largely speaking,” said the state minister.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue on “Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific Collaboration: Priority Issues and Concerns” at a Dhaka hotel.
Law enforcement agencies’ role to ensure security of Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar should not be undermined: Shahriar
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Saturday said it is one of the most challenging tasks for the law enforcement agencies to deal with the safety and security issues of the Rohingyas and the host community in Cox’s Bazar and their role should not be undermined.
He said the “complexity” in dealing with the safety and security of the Rohingyas is one of the most challenging tasks for any trained forces whether that is Bangladesh police or Armed Police Battalion (APBn).
“So, undermining their ability and sacrifices is actually undermining the challenges that our law enforcement agencies are facing,” Shahriar Alam said, noting that they have recently noticed that Human Rights Watch was rather critical.
He referred to various criminal activities in the Rohingya camps and assured of taking appropriate steps to maintain law and order situation there.
“Bangladesh, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, will continue to set an example of humanity as long as the forcibly displaced Rohingyas remain in our territory. But we shall also not compromise on our national security if certain sections of the Rohingyas are found to be engaging in criminal activities like terrorism, human trafficking, drug running and gender based violence,” said the State Minister.
Speaking as the chief guest at a senior level dialogue on “Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific Collaboration: Priority Issues and Concerns” at a Dhaka hotel, he said the government has taken a combination of bilateral, regional and multilateral efforts to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The state minister said the sustained diplomatic efforts by the government helped keep the Rohingya issue alive.
Bangladesh Center for Indo Pacific Affairs and Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University hosted the dialogue moderated by Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs Executive Director Professor Shahab Enam Khan.
Secretary, Maritime Affairs Unit (MAU) Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam, Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain and UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis, among others, spoke.
Also read: Over 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted deadly sea crossings in 2022
The State Minister said he will be expecting their friends, especially those who are actively participating in the humanitarian assistance providing to the Rohingyas under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) umbrella, will be able to defend their the risk that the law enforcers are taking.
“We have experienced multiple fatalities on behalf of law enforcement agencies, including very senior officials, even in recent times,” he said.
“We have been repeatedly reminding the international community that the source of the problem is in Myanmar and the solution lies in Myanmar,” he said, adding that the internal political stability in Myanmar would indeed remain crucial.
And unfortunately, at this present moment, very little has been done even though they welcome the adoption of the first ever UN Security Council resolution on Myanmar, Shahriar said, mentioning that “We have also kept our door open for any formal or informal dialogue.”
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s bazar and Bhasan Char and not a single of them has been repatriated over the last six years amid lack of genuine efforts from the Myanmar side.