Foreign-Affairs
Momen meets Lavrov, pitches for stronger international support for resolving Rohingya crisis
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had a brief discussion with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Kazakhstan's Astana Thursday.
Momen informed Lavrov about the current situation of the Rohingya crisis and stressed the need for stronger international support for resolving the issue.
Read: Bangladesh shows interest in contributing to Kyrgyzstan's pharmaceutical sector
Bangladesh shows interest in contributing to Kyrgyzstan's pharmaceutical sector
Bangladesh has shown interest to contribute to the pharmaceutical sector of Kyrgyzstan and offered the service of its "skilled human resources" in the ICT sector.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen met his Kyrgyz counterpart Jeenbek Kulubaev on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia, Kazakhstan's Astana.
They hoped that their bilateral trade and investment would continue to grow and showed interest in the exchange of trade delegations between the two countries.
The ministers agreed to facilitate communication and interaction between the businesses as well as the commerce or trade ministries of the two countries.
Read: Momen seeks investment from CICA Member States
Jeenbek Kulubaev invited Bangladeshi businessmen to invest in his country's textile and apparel industry.
Both ministers congratulated each other for the election of their respective countries into the UN Human Rights Council.
They expressed satisfaction that Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan share common views and cooperate with each other on many international issues as members of UN, OIC and NAM.
'China a bit reluctant about Teesta project due to sensitivity'
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday said his country is serious about implementing the Teesta River Comprehensive Management Project, noting that it should be taken positively for the benefit of Bangladeshis.
He said China considers the project to be significant after Bangladesh formally proposed it, but also has a sense of reluctance due to the sensitivities it contains.
“…I would have to be frank that the Chinese side is a bit reluctant about this project. The reason of course is that there are some sensitivities — that we sensed and we observed,” the Chinese ambassador said at a seminar on “National Image of China in Bangladesh,” organized by the Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS) at a Dhaka hotel.
The ambassador said they were officially approached by the Bangladesh government one year ago.
After an assessment done by the embassy, he said, they decided that this is a very important project and they should report back to Beijing.
“Now Teesta River Comprehensive Management Project is under serious assessment by the government agencies in Beijing,” said the envoy.
Read: ‘Some misunderstandings can hurt Bangladesh-China relations’
Ambassador Jiming said he is personally concerned whether the Bangladesh government will change its position later on — due to or without external pressure.
“I am not sure. If we decided to do so, and if someone came out and said — well this is again another case of Chinese debt trap — there are some particular geo-political sensitivities and so we should not do it,” he mentioned, adding that then the Bangladesh government may say, “Sorry China, we cannot just go on. That will put us in a very awkward position.”
He said though his recent trip was part of visiting Chinese projects in different parts of the country, he got very positive feedback from the local people and the local government.
“It gives me great confidence to speak more to my colleagues in Beijing, and build their confidence,” said the ambassador.
On October 9, Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming visited Rangpur division and talked to locals at the Teesta Barrage.
On October 10, the ambassador visited the bridge project under construction by CSCEC over Teesta River in Gaibandha district of Rangpur division.
In July 2020, the Ministry of Water Resources sought a $983 million loan from China to implement the project, in a letter to Bangladesh’s Economic Relations Division. The Bangladesh government would be bearing 15% of the total project cost (about $130 million).
The project involves dredging the Teesta river for navigability, building strong embankment, townships, industries on the two sides of the river, water reservoir and irrigation.
Responding to a question on possible engagement of China in a Teesta-related project, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen recently said they have not received any such proposal officially yet.
On the issues of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, Jiming said there have been narratives and news “cooked up by western countries”.
He said China is not suppressing any certain minority, namely the Uyghur, which is one of 56 ethnic groups in China.
“Chinese authorities imprisoned the separatists and terrorists as per the national law,” Jiming said. CGS Director Prof Imtiaz Ahmed presented a keynote. Former ambassadors Nasim Firdaus, Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Dhaka University Professors MM Akash and Dr Delwar Hossain also spoke.
Dhaka urges Manama to ease visa rules for Covid-stranded Bangladeshis
Bangladesh has urged Bahrain to ease visa rules for Bangladeshis who got separated from their families due to expiry of their visas after they had returned home before the Covid outbreak.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had a bilateral meeting with his Bahrain counterpart Abdullahtif bin Rashid Al-Zayani Thursday and made the request.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the sixth summit of the "Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)" in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Momen also asked for easing visa procedures for tourists and businesses.
The Bahraini minister assured Momen of his cooperation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Bangladesh foreign minister thanked Bahrain for taking initiative to resolve the issues of Bangladesh expatriate workers who were trying to go back to their workplaces in Bahrain but were unable to do so due to the Covid outbreak.
He hoped that the remaining workers would also be able to return to their workplace soon.
The Bahraini minister said there were disruptions in visa issuance due to Covid, and they are looking into the issues.
The two sides discussed opportunities for further enhancing their bilateral ties.
Momen thanked Abdullahtif for inviting him to the 18th IISS Manama dialogue and expressed his keenness to join the dialogue and meet the minister once again in Bahrain.
‘Some misunderstandings can hurt Bangladesh-China relations’
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming today said that Bangladesh-China relations have seen rapid and sound development.
However, he also noted: “I should admit that there are still some misunderstandings on China-related issue, originating from cultural difference, cognitive bias or fake news.”
Read: Ambassador Li visits Chinese projects in Rangpur
The envoy said these will inevitably undermine the friendly base of China-Bangladesh relations and further hinder the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
He was speaking at a programme titled “National Image on China in Bangladesh” held in a city hotel.
The ambassador said there is no so-called “Chinese debt trap” and the government of Bangladesh knows this well.
Bangladesh IT Connect Portal-Japan launched to attract Japanese FDI
The government on Thursday launched a virtual desk at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo to connect investors and partners to explore business opportunities and help them attract foreign direct investment (FDI).
ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak inaugurated the virtual desk "Bangladesh IT Connect Portal-Japan (www. jp.itconnect.gov.bd)" which is expected to help bring business and investment from Japan by connecting IT companies of both countries.
The World Bank financed Enhancing Digital Government and Economy (EDGE) Project of the Bangladesh Computer Council under the ICT Division and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Japan jointly developed the Bangladesh IT Connect Portal-Japan to establish a business-to-business (B2B) IT connectivity hub, which will play a role in bringing business connections of Japanese IT market, arranging an appointment with the embassy, bringing investment from the Japanese market.
Govt can’t take responsibility of parties who won’t participate in next polls: Shahriar Alam
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday said the government cannot take responsibility if any political party does not take part in the upcoming elections but expects that the polls will be held in a “free and fair” manner.
“We said it clearly that the elections will be free and fair. But we have no capacity as such to make sure that all political parties will join the elections,” he told reporters at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that this is what he conveyed to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman during his recent meeting in the USA.
Alam said who will come or will not come in the elections depend on the decisions of those political parties or individuals, mentioning that the government will not take that responsibility.
The State Minister said he also briefed her about the Election Commission formation, search committee and president’s dialogue in which some political parties did not take part.
“You have seen how the Election Commission was formed and the President invited all stakeholders. In this process some specific individuals or parties did not take part,” he added.
Asked whether the election will get the acceptability, the state minister said the elections in the past got the acceptability and certainly the elections will have the same in the future.
During their meeting on October 7, the deputy secretary and state minister Alam discussed the Bangladesh-US partnership, as the two countries commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The deputy secretary reaffirmed the importance of promoting human rights and holding “free, fair, and peaceful” elections.
“From my position, I need to respond and that’s what I have done,” said the state minister.
Referring to the US sanctions imposed on the RAB and its senior officials, the state minister urged the US government to withdraw the sanctions as soon as possible.
Read: Bangladesh elected UNHRC member because of experience with rights issues: Shahriar Alam
Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated continued collaboration with Bangladesh on its fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Shahriar urged the US government to expedite the deportation of Bangabanhu's killer Rashed Chowdhury to Bangladesh mentioning that the issue was of utmost importance to the people of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself.
He also emphasised the conclusion of an extradition treaty between Bangladesh and the USA as early as possible.
He criticised BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's remarks in a political rally in Chattogram.
Fakhrul said the US sanctioned the Rapid Action Battalion, but the sanction should have been imposed on the AL government.
State Minister Alam said it will be very unfortunate if he said this and it will be again a reflection of BNP’s desire that without depending on the people of the country they are trying to use the foreign countries.
He said such remarks from Fakhrul are tantamount to sedition.
Responding to a question, Shahriar said Bangladesh remains very hospitable to the diplomats and hoped that the foreign diplomats will not misuse that gesture. “If they do, we need to think otherwise.”
Read: India has again assured Bangladesh of resolving Teesta issue: Shahriar Alam
He referred to James F Moriarty, the then-US ambassador, who sent the confidential cable on November 3, 2008 to Washington and WikiLeaks published it later portraying Tarique Rahman as a symbol of “kleptocratic government and violent politics” in Bangladesh and the US embassy in Dhaka even recommended blocking his entry into the United States.
The state minister said instead of calling for sanctions from the US on Bangladesh, Mirza Fakhrul should have first worked on removing the barrier on Tarique’s movement to the US as they hear.
Featuring Islamic dome and Chinese knot, Bangladesh-China friendship bridge drawing tourists
Bangladesh, a Muslim majority country, is no exception to the amazingly rich architectural heritage seen throughout the Islamic world. Mosques, palaces, tombs, and fortresses are just some of the famous Islamic-style buildings in Bangladesh. The 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, constructed with Chinese government financing, is a more recent contribution to Bangladesh’s cultural legacy.
Weng Changmin, deputy manager of the project, told Xinhua recently that it had taken over four years to build the bridge, which officially opened to traffic on September 4, 2022.
Read:PM opens Bangamata Bridge over Kacha River in Pirojpur
The structure is a testament to the friendship between China and Bangladesh. The bridge design incorporates an Islamic-style dome and a Chinese knot, reflecting the bonds between China and Bangladesh and the cultures of the two places, he said.
UAE ambassador presents credentials to President Abdul Hamid
Newly appointed Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abdulla Ali Abdullah Khaseif Al Hamoudi on Wednesday presented his credentials to President Abdul Hamid.
Ambassador Abdulla was given a Guard of Honour by a contingent of the Presidential Guard Regiment on his arrival at Bangabhaban.
Saying that Bangladesh and the UAE enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship, Abdul Hamid said the relationship between the countries expanded in several sectors including trade and investment over time.
The President thanked the UAE government for organising the ‘Dubai Expo-2020’ successfully.
Read: Ambassadors from the Netherlands and Thailand present credentials to President Hamid
Mentioning the role of Bangladeshi expatriates in the development of the Gulf nation, Abdul Hamid urged the UAE government to take more Bangladeshi workers.
He also said that the UAE can import sea-sailing ships, apparels, medicines and ceramics products from Bangladesh.
The President hoped that the relationship between the two countries would reach a newer height in the future.
Praising the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, the UAE envoy sought overall cooperation from the President to perform his duty.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Secretary to the President’s Office Sampad Barua, Military Secretary Major General SM Salahuddin Islam and Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin, among others, were present during the event.
Supporting Mothers at Work: UNICEF joins hands with Bangladesh garment industry
Evidence shows that paid time off, support for breastfeeding and antenatal services contribute to healthier children and happier families as well as gender equality, workforce productivity and sustainable economic growth, UNICEF said today.
Under the UNICEF-led Mothers@Work initiative, UNICEF and the Bangladesh Garments’ Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) will support factories to provide breastfeeding spaces and breaks, childcare facilities, paid maternity leave, cash benefits, healthcare, employment protection and a safe work environment for working mothers and pregnant women.
Read: Girls lag behind boys in mathematics for negative gender norms , stereotypes: UNICEF
Bangladesh’s garment industry is the second largest clothing exporter in the world, contributing about 11 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.
Over half of the nearly 4 million people working in garment factories are women of reproductive age.
However, a 2018 UNICEF survey revealed gaps in the provision of breaks and private spaces for breastfeeding, which is critical to children’s health and development.
“Providing targeted support for women in the workforce and ensuring women can earn a living, while also having the needed support to care for their children, is critical for women and their children and is an investment that benefits all,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
Building on lessons learned from a UNICEF pilot project, this partnership will improve working conditions for 130,000 women and provide better nutrition services, and day-care facilities for 8,000 children.
Starting in 80 factories, the initiative will gradually increase aiming to ultimately reach over 4,000 factories in Bangladesh.