Foreign-Affairs
Media pursues diplomats to speak on Bangladesh’s internal affairs: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today (November 22, 2022) said diplomats stationed in Dhaka should not be given the scope to speak on Bangladesh’s internal affairs – noting that the blame goes to everyone, especially the media.
“Blame goes to everyone. We have given them the scope. We should not give them such scope,” he told reporters at a Sylhet event, criticising the role of Bangladeshi media.
Momen said that diplomats come for a particular period to improve their countries’ relations with Bangladesh; they do not come here to give negative messages.
The foreign minister said that some diplomats told him they do not want to speak on Bangladesh’s internal issues but local media persistently pursues them for opinions.
Read More: IORA Meetings to focus on undertaking larger projects
“In other countries, the media does not ask foreigners questions on internal affairs,” he added.
Referring to media, Momen said, “People who are not your family members do not know about your family affairs. But you are asking foreigners questions regarding your home affairs. It’s a matter of shame too.”
On Monday, the foreign minister reiterated his call to diplomats stationed in Dhaka to follow diplomatic norms.
Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country and they should remember it, Momen said, adding that this culture of diplomats getting involved in the country’s internal affairs must change today or tomorrow.
Read More: India can reap benefits of Bangladesh’s connectivity outlook: Momen
Momen said the diplomats stationed here know the code of conduct and Bangladesh expects they would follow that.
“We are no longer a colony, they (some diplomats) should remember that,” he added.
Responding to a question on the two death-row convicts who were whisked away from the premises of a Dhaka court, Momen said it is unfortunate but it is an “accident”, and such “accidents happen in other countries too.”
Read More: Phone Conversation: Momen, Lavrov want to take Dhaka-Moscow relations to greater heights
Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi lauds Bangladesh army for safeguarding independence, maintaining peace in conflict-torn regions of the world
Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, a gallantry award-recipient valiant freedom fighter, has said that along with safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of the country, members of the armed forces have also earned global appreciation for maintaining peace and stability in conflict-torn regions of the world.
Chowdhury, also an adviser to the prime minister on power, energy and mineral resources, said Bangladesh’s armed forces is making huge contributions to the country’s ongoing development under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC hosted a reception on Monday to celebrate the 51st Armed Forces Day. Chowdhury, who is currently in USA, attended the event.
Read more: New Delhi mission celebrates Bangladesh's Armed Forces Day
Gabe Camarillo, Under Secretary of US Army, was present at the function. Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA, Muhammad Imran, also spoke at the event held at Bangabandhu Auditorium of the Embassy.
Lieutenant General Michael T. Plehn, President of National Defence University, USA; and Afreen Akhter, US Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, were also present at the event.
The programme began with the playing of the national anthems of Bangladesh and USA.
A short documentary on the activities of the Bangladesh Armed Forces was screened.
Dr Chowdhury greeted the members of the armed forces on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day and recalled with profound respect the great sacrifice and long struggle of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who led the nation to achieve its long-cherished independence.
He also recalled with deep respect the bravery and supreme sacrifice of the valiant freedom fighters – both military and civilians – in the Liberation War.
Under Secretary of US Army Gabe Camarillo said USA and Bangladesh celebrated the 51st anniversary of Bangladesh Armed Forces and 50 years of friendly relations between the two countries.
Noting that Bangladesh is the world's largest troop contributors to the UN Peacekeeping Operation, he said the United States recognises the sacrifice of the Bangladesh Armed Forces both for defence of the country in Bangladesh and maintaining peace and stability around the world.
Ambassador Imran paid deepest homage to the architect of Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under whose leadership Bangladesh achieved final victory on December 16, 1971 following a nine-month-long armed Liberation War.
He noted with satisfaction the multifaceted cooperation between the armed forces of Bangladesh and the United States – in terms of UN peacekeeping operations, sharing of knowledge and experiences, training, procurement and exchange of visits, etc.
Read more: PM Hasina hails the Armed Forces for standing by the people : PM
Diplomats and Defence Attaches from a number of countries, senior officials from the Pentagon, Department of State, and other US organizations, members of Bangladeshi diaspora and Embassy officials and employees attended the function.
Defence Attaché of Bangladesh Embassy Brigadier General Md Shahedul Islam welcomed the guests at the reception and thanked the USA for the support and cooperation extended that is mutually beneficial for the two countries.
Minister (Political-1) Dewan Ali Ashraf conducted the programme.
New Delhi mission celebrates Bangladesh's Armed Forces Day
The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Monday celebrated the Armed Forces Day, vowing to uphold the image of Bangladesh Armed Forces and boost the country's positive image across the world.
To celebrate the day, Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich, director general of Military Intelligence of the Indian Army was the chief guest at the programme. Many war veterans of the Indian Armed Forces, diplomats of different countries and most of the defence advisers or attaches residing in Delhi attended the event.
Read more: PM Hasina hails the Armed Forces for standing by the people : PM
Lieutenant General Tarun laid a floral wreath to the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and paid homage to all martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971. The national anthems of both countries were played.
Also, a video clip on the contribution of the Bangladesh Armed Forces was played.
Brigadier General Md Abul Kalam Azad, defence adviser at the Bangladesh mission, delivered the welcome speech. He highlighted the progression of defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, as well as the advancement of Bangladesh Armed Forces at home and in the international arena.
Md Mustafizur Rahman, the high commissioner of Bangladesh to India, highlighted the strong diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries.
Lieutenant General Tarun stressed the deep connection between the two armed forces, assuring to elevate the defence cooperation to a newer height.
Read more: Armed Forces Day: President pays tributes to martyrs
Speaker of Assam lauds Hasina’s leadership; zero tolerance policy against terrorism
Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary has appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her zero tolerance policy toward terrorism, radicalism and violent extremism which had “significantly contributed” to peace and prosperity in the entire region.
He also appreciated her visionary leadership leading to the impressive socio-economic development of Bangladesh in recent years.
A delegation from Assam Legislative Assembly led Biswajit Daimary met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the Foreign Service Academy on Monday.
READ: IORA Meetings to focus on undertaking larger projects
The 54-member delegation including 32 MLAs is on an official visit to Bangladesh from November 19 to 22 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Momen, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister said Bangladesh attaches high importance to its relationship with the most important and closest neighbour - India.
He said the people of the North-East of India occupy a special place in the hearts of Bangladeshis for their unstinting support to the Bangalis during the War of Liberation in 1971.
As the gateway of Northeast India, he mentioned that Assam can reap the benefit from the outstanding growth of Bangladesh’s economy by enhancing trade & commerce, tourism and people to people contact.
Dr Momen expressed hope that their experiences from this visit would be fondly cherished for further cementing of our bilateral bond and the goodwill which would further help in deepening the understanding between the people of Assam and Bangladesh.
He emphasized that it is important for the legislators to be equipped with authentic and up-to-date information on important issues of bilateral interest, so that they can reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people on the floor of the House.
READ: India can reap benefits of Bangladesh’s connectivity outlook: Momen
During the visit, the delegation called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The delegation also met Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
The Speaker of Assam thanked the government of Bangladesh for arranging such an excellent exposure visit programme for them.
The delegation laid emphasis on greater collaboration within sectors like connectivity, trade and people to people contacts and in order to further consolidate economic ties between Bangladesh and the North-East India.
They expressed the optimism that the two countries will explore newer areas of cooperation in addition to the existing areas.
The delegation paid homage to the memories of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi.
They also visited the mausoleum of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Tungipara, Gopalganj through the landmark Padma Bridge.
IORA Meetings to focus on undertaking larger projects
Bangladesh, the current Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Chair, will focus on developing a mechanism to undertake larger projects, prevent piracy, armed robbery, unregulated fishing and disaster management as the 24th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) to be held on here November 22-23.
Decisions are taken with consensus based on opinions from all and those decisions will be placed at the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting to be held on November 24.
Currently, no project bigger than US$ 80,000 can be taken but projects with unlimited amounts can be taken if the IORA Development Initiative is approved, according to the IORA.
There will be minister and state minister-level participation from 18 countries including Bangladesh.
Briefing the reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said they want “free, inclusive, secure and peaceful” navigation for all without any encumbrance in the region.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) Rear Admiral (Retd) Md. Khurshed Alam, Secretary (East) Mashfee Binte Shamsand and Secretary (West) Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the media briefing.
The Foreign Minister laid emphasis on making the best use of the sea in a more “regulated, progressive and scientific” way.
“In the future, we will take on big projects to maximize gain,” said the Foreign Minister.
Momen highlighted the priority areas of the IORA - maritime safety and security; trade and investment facilitation, fisheries management, disaster risk management, tourism and cultural exchanges; academic, science and technology cooperation, blue economy and women’s economic empowerment.
He said the ministers and state ministers will jointly meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during their stay in Dhaka.
The Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation which was established on 7 March 1997.
There are 23 Member States of IORA and 10 dialogue partners.
India can reap benefits of Bangladesh’s connectivity outlook: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said Bangladesh is positioned to be a “regional connectivity hub” and India being the closest neighbour can reap the benefits of the connectivity outlook, as envisioned by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Momen also mentioned about the actions taken by Hasina and her government for exerting “zero tolerance” towards terrorism, radicalism and insurgency, which ultimately paved the way in establishing “peace and stability” of the North Eastern states of India.
During his meeting with the foreign minister, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay K. Verma said India, under its Presidency of G20, expects active participation of Bangladesh in the G20 meetings to promote the issues of mutual interest in the global discourse.
The foreign minister reaffirmed that Bangladesh considers India as the closest and the most important neighbour and termed the relations as “solid and unique one.”
Momen underscored the exemplary economic growth of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of the PM Hasina and added that Bangladesh’s economic development is complementing the economic development of India in many ways.
Read: Phone Conversation: Momen, Lavrov want to take Dhaka-Moscow relations to greater heights
With regard to the Indo-Pacific region, Momen stressed the need for international rules and norms based on free and fair connectivity amongst the countries of the region.
The Indian high commissioner said working in Bangladesh is a matter of honour and privilege and reiterated his commitment to work on the issues of mutual interest for further strengthening the excellent relations existing between the two countries.
He stressed on working together in the multilateral arena in supporting the candidatures floated by either country.
He urged all concerned to work towards bringing the border killings to zero, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Both the foreign minister and the high commissioner emphasized increasing the engagements between Bangladesh and Indian North Eastern region to invigorate the connectivity and age-old relationship.
Momen emphasized that more than 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar are being sheltered by Bangladesh.
Read: Momen ‘surprised’ to see his name as chief guest at Bay of Bengal Conversation 2022 opening
Phone Conversation: Momen, Lavrov want to take Dhaka-Moscow relations to greater heights
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday shed light on the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Russia and expressed their desire to take these relations to greater heights.
During a telephone conversation, the Russian foreign minister expressed his regret for not being able to come to Dhaka due to schedule complications and expressed his intention to make the visit soon.
Momen thanked Russia for its cooperation with Bangladesh in the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and invited Russian President Putin to visit Bangladesh on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lavrov was scheduled to visit Bangladesh on November 23, mainly to attend the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers meeting, to be held in Dhaka on November 24.
Russia is a dialogue partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) while Bangladesh is the current chair of group.
Read: US keen to work with Bangladesh, other partners to build free, open Indo-Pacific
Momen highlighted the role of the Soviet Union in the War of Liberation of Bangladesh and said that Dhaka will always remember it with gratitude.
He sought the cooperation of the Russian foreign minister in sending the Rohingya refugees, who have taken shelter in Bangladesh, back to Myanmar.
In reply, Lavrov assured Momen he would talk with Myanmar.
Among other things, the two ministers also discussed the cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia in the United Nations and other international organizations.
The Russian foreign minister greeted the Bangladesh prime minister on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, Momen said the increased activities of Russia due to the situation in Ukraine might be the reason behind the revised decision taken by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"I can understand it. They are very busy. Their activities due to the war have increased to a large extent. Maybe for that reason he is unable to come," Momen told reporters after attending a programme in a Dhaka hotel.
Read: Russian FM Lavrov’s changed decision on Dhaka visit understandable: Momen
The foreign minister said the Russian side in a diplomatic communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed that the Russian foreign minister is unable to come.
The IORA Council of Ministers meeting, to be hosted by Bangladesh, will be preceded by the 24th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials, to be held on November 22-23.
The IORA is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 23 member states and 10 dialogue partners.
IORA member states are Australia, Bangladesh, Union of Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Republic of Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The 23 member states of IORA and 10 dialogue partners are expected to join the ministerial and senior official meetings.
US keen to work with Bangladesh, other partners to ensure an open Indo-Pacific
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Monday said they seek to work with Bangladesh and other partners to build an Indo-Pacific that is free and open.
"We want a region that is free and open, interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. We share this vision with many other nations," he said, sharing the five elements of the Indo-Pacific that the US shares with many other nations.
The US ambassador was speaking at a panel discussion “Untangling the Myriad of Multilateral Frameworks in the Indo-Pacific” at a programme titled “Bay of Bengal Conversation” held at a hotel in Dhaka.
Read more: US to be bold in promoting its vision of a free, secure, and prosperous world: Haas
He said they do not ask any nation to choose between the United States and any other partner.
"As we manage shifting geopolitical trends, the United States will conduct itself as a reasonable leader. We do not seek conflict. We do not seek a Cold War," Haas said.
The ambassador said the United States will be unabashed in promoting their vision of a free, open, secure, and prosperous world.
The window of opportunity to deal with shared threats is closing fast, said the ambassador.
He said the United States and 13 partner countries launched negotiations for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, what he described as a “novel economic arrangement” that reflects their collective desire to address 21st century challenges that go beyond trade and investment.
The membership of IPEF reflects the economic diversity of the region as well as the interconnectivity among partner countries that drives economic growth, job creation, and innovation, he said.
IPEF is intended to be open and inclusive to others who wish to join in the future if they share the goals of IPEF and work to achieve those goals.
“We will continue to work on these issues and grow our economic partnership bilaterally with all nations, including Bangladesh,” said the envoy.
Read more: Excited to see more Bangladeshi students are choosing US: Peter Haas
“Let us work together to strengthen the foundations of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” he added.
The inaugural session was addressed by former President of Serbia Boris Tadic, CGS Chairman Dr Manjur A Chowdhury and CGS Executive Director Zillur Rahman.
US to be bold in promoting its vision of a free, secure, and prosperous world: Haas
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Monday said they seek to work with Bangladesh and other partners to build an Indo-Pacific that has five elements.
"We want a region that is free and open, interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. We share this vision with many other nations," he said.
Read more: Excited to see more Bangladeshi students are choosing US: Peter Haas
The US Ambassador was speaking at a panel discussion “Untangling the Myriad of Multilateral Frameworks in the Indo-Pacific” at Bay of Bengal Conversations at a hotel in Dhaka.
He said they do not ask any nation to choose between the United States and any other partner.
"As we manage shifting geopolitical trends, the United States will conduct itself as a reasonable leader. We do not seek conflict. We do not seek a Cold War," Haas said.
The Ambassador said the United States will be unabashed in promoting their vision of a free, open, secure, and prosperous world.
Read more: US only cares for free & fair election, not who wins: Amb. Haas
The window of opportunity to deal with shared threats is closing fast, said Ambassador Haas.
"Our vision is a shared vision. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described Bangladesh’s vision for the region at the 2021 Paris Peace Forum," he said.
Momen ‘surprised’ to see his name as chief guest at Bay of Bengal Conversation 2022 opening
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen says he was surprised to see his name as the “chief guest” at the inaugural session of Bay of Bengal Conversation 2022.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Momen said while responding to a question at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
Read more: Diplomats should remember Bangladesh is an independent, sovereign country: Momen
The foreign minister said he attended a programme marking 7,000 episodes of the television talk show “Tritiyo Matra” where CGS Executive Director Zillur Rahman verbally talked about the event.
“We didn’t give him any date. This is very strange,” Momen said.
The Foreign Minister said he was not going there and at this moment he is very busy with many foreign guests.
Read more: Russian FM Lavrov’s changed decision on Dhaka visit understandable: Momen
“I have plenty of people to meet, including MPs from Assam. I have an obligation to meet them bilaterally (IORA ministers). We are very busy with the state jobs,” he added.
The three-day Bay of Bengal Conversation 2022 began at a Dhaka hotel on Monday.