Foreign-Affairs
Momen sends birthday greetings with 100 roses to Modi’s mother
Foreign Minister DR AK Abdul Momen has greeted Heeraben Modi, mother of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday (June 18).
A bouquet of flowers from foreign minister Momen, now in New Delhi, was sent to her residence through the diplomatic channel on Saturday.
Read: 7th JCC: Dhaka to focus on water sharing, energy security
“Happy Birthday to Smt. Heeraben Modi,” reads the message with the bouquet that contains 100 roses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a blog to his mother, underlining her sacrifices as well as the different facets of her life that "shaped" his mind, personality, and self-confidence.
Turkish Embassy celebrates essence of Bangladeshi music, cuisine
Turkish Embassy in Dhaka has celebrated the essence of Bangladeshi cuisine and music with a musical soiree and dinner at the Turkish Residence.
The ‘musical encounter’ was part of a series of 'encounters' or engagements in different categories organised by the Embassy and initiated by Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan.
The evening was a means of appreciating the food and music of Bangladesh and also showing a glimpse of it to those who are not as familiar with either.
Also read: Turkish citizen who arrived at Shahjalal does not have monkeypox
The event held on Friday was preceded by other similar chapters as culinary encounters and Sufi encounters as a means to fortify the affiliation between Bangladesh and Turkey through meaningful experiences.
The programme featured classical recitals of sarod and tabla, followed by renditions of songs of Rabindranath Tagore.
The menu had a range of flavourful Bangladeshi dishes, including mutton kacchi and wrapping up with the comfort of traditional sweets.
Also read: Turkish envoy meets Fakhrul, talks about next polls
7th JCC: Dhaka to focus on water sharing, energy security
Bangladesh will focus on water-sharing of common rivers, energy security and trade issues during the next round of Joint Consultation Commission (JCC) meeting between Bangladesh and India in Delhi on Sunday, officials said.
Issues related to regional cooperation, better connectivity and relevant projects are likely to be discussed at the 7th JCC meeting.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will co-chair the JCC meeting with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar.
They had a meeting while attending the third edition of Asian Confluence River Conclave-2022 (NADI) in Guwahati last month.
Asked about the JCC meeting, the foreign minister said all the issues including border management, issues related to joint rivers and energy security will be discussed.
Bangladesh was seeking the long-delayed meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission but it is not taking place before the JCC.
READ: Dhaka-Delhi JCC likely to be held in June 19
“We wanted to have the JRC meeting first,” Momen told reporters on Wednesday, adding that Bangladesh will discuss the rivers’ issues in the JCC.
This will be the first physical JCC meeting convened since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous edition held virtually in 2020.
The JCC will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues, said the Indian External Affairs Ministry on Saturday.
The two foreign ministers also met in Dhaka recently and stressed on following up the decisions taken at the highest level for their effective implementation for mutual benefit.
The sixth meeting of the JCC was held on September 29, 2020. Although Dhaka was scheduled to host the meeting, the meeting was held on a virtual platform due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Bangladesh and India noted that 2021 was a landmark year for their relationship as the president and the prime minister of India visited Bangladesh in a single year.
The countries celebrated the 50th years of diplomatic ties through the joint celebration of a number of landmark events across the world.
The meeting will also discuss the schedule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India later this year.
The two countries share 54 common rivers and the Teesta water-sharing deal remains pending despite all preparations in 2011 due to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's opposition.
Padma Bridge completely ring-fenced from foreign funding: MoFA
Bangladesh has asserted that the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, a flagship infrastructure development project that is set to be inaugurated on June 25, is entirely funded by its national exchequer, with no part of the cost being paid out of any financial contribution by any bilateral or multilateral funding agency.
Some quarters are trying to portray that the bridge has been built with foreign funding, specifically one of the Chinese government's loans under the Belt and Road Initiative, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Friday, which is why the government felt the need to clear the air by issuing a statement.
Both Bangladeshi and foreign construction firms were engaged in the implementation of the project, MoFA said.
The completion of this bridge will fulfil the long-cherished dream of connecting the 19 south-western districts with the rest of the country, resulting in collective prosperity, socioeconomic development and enhanced regional connectivity.
MoFA hoped that all friends of Bangladesh would join hands in celebrating the completion of this landmark project which is "all the more special since it was done entirely with the contribution of the people and the government of Bangladesh."
Also read: Padma Bridge: FM says WB must be apologetic
Nearly 37 million children displaced worldwide: UNICEF
Conflict, violence and other crises left a record 36.5 million children displaced from their homes at the end of 2021, UNICEF estimates which is the highest number recorded since the Second World War.
This figure includes 13.7 million refugee and asylum-seeking children† and nearly 22.8 million children who are internally displaced due to conflict and violence.
These figures do not include children displaced by climate and environmental shocks or disasters, as well as those newly displaced in 2022, including by the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, children and families are also being driven from their homes by extreme weather events, such as by drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, and severe flooding in Bangladesh, India and South Africa.
There were 7.3 million new displacements of children as a consequence of natural disasters in 2021.
Read: Myanmar military killed at least 142 children in past 16 months: UN expert
The record number of children displaced is a direct result of cascading crises – including acute and protracted conflicts such as in Afghanistan, fragility in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Yemen and linked shocks exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.
Just like fragility, child displacement is spreading fast. During the previous year, the global number of displaced children increased by 2.2 million.
"We can't ignore the evidence: The number of children being displaced by conflict and crises is rapidly growing – and so is our responsibility to reach them," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on Friday.
"I hope this alarming number will move governments to prevent children from being displaced in the first place – and when they are displaced, to ensure their access to education, protection, and other critical services that support their wellbeing and development now and in the future."
Crises like the war in Ukraine – which has caused more than 2 million children to flee the country and displaced 3 million internally since February – come on top of this record high.
The global refugee population has more than doubled in the last decade, with children making up almost half of the total.
Uprooted children – whether refugee, asylum seeker or internally displaced – can face grave risks to their well-being and safety.
Read: UNRC lauds remarkable eagerness of children to learn
This is particularly true for the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied or separated children who are at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation, violence and abuse. Children account for approximately 34 per cent of detected trafficking victims globally.
UNICEF urged Member States to adhere to their commitments to the rights of all uprooted children, including commitments established under the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), and to invest further in data and research that reflects the true scale of the issues facing refugee, migrant and displaced children.
PM Hasina sends mangoes to Indian President, PM as gift
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent one metric tonne of ‘Amrapali’ mangoes as a gift to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
The mangoes were sent to the residents of the Indian President and Prime Minister of India through the diplomatic channel on Friday, said an official.
Haas reiterates: US has no favourite in B'desh political arena
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has reiterated that the United States has no preference for any particular party or platform in Bangladesh's political arena, but rather wants to see an “open and competitive process” play out ahead of the next national election.
“I want to be very clear that the US has no preference. We have no vote. We don’t favour any particular party, platform or anything else that is not our role,” he said during the inaugural episode of “AmTalk,” an initiative premiered on the verified Facebook page of the US Embassy Friday evening.
Ambassador Haas said they would like to see the same thing that the people of Bangladesh would like to see - an election run at an international standard that allows the people of Bangladesh to choose their next leaders in an “open and competitive” process, free of violence.
The US envoy said he very much welcomes some of the signals and signs that he is receiving in terms of having a transparent election.
Read: PM Hasina sends mangoes to Indian President, PM as gift
He referred foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and said he (Momen) has made it clear that Bangladesh will welcome international observers. “I think that’s critical…..”
Ambassador Haas laid emphasis on advancing the relations between Bangladesh and the United States taking advantage of the opportunities and addressing the challenges through joint efforts.
Bangladesh participates in Nepal Trade Fair
A five-day trade fair, organized by Nepal Chamber of Commerce, was inaugurated at the Nepalese capital on Thursday.
Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba inaugurated the event at the national exhibition hall of Kathmandu, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
READ: Last body found at crash site of Nepali plane
Around 50 Bangladeshi traders - mostly women entrepreneurs - representing various sectors - such as garments, ceramics, handicrafts,
jute and leather products are participating in the fair.
Bangladesh has been designated as the country partner in this event, which is the first-ever international fair being organized in Nepal after the Covid pandemic, said the ministry.
Bangladesh's participation is coordinated by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal in association with
the SME Foundation of Bangladesh.
Presided over by President of Nepal Chamber of
Commerce Rajendra Malla, the inaugural ceremony was attended by Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury as special guest.
Padma Bridge: FM says WB must be apologetic
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said the World Bank (WB) must be "apologetic" and feel "sorry" considering that they did Bangladesh a "big injustice" by cancelling the funding for the Padma Bridge which is set to be inaugurated on June 25.
"There is no guarantee that big institutions (like WB) always do good things," he said while talking to television journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday.
Minister Momen said the global lending agency should pay compensation to those who faced harassment and seek an apology from them, acknowledging the big injustice they had committed.
The Bangladesh government invited WB President David Malpass to attend the inaugural ceremony of the much-awaited Padma Bridge.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority e-mailed the invitation to the chief of the multilateral lending agency Wednesday.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government's move to self-finance the Padma Bridge brightened Bangladesh's image globally. "Such a bold decision has also boosted the self-confidence and mental strength of the nation."
Also read: Padma Bridge inauguration: Invitation card sent to World Bank
Bangladesh mission's mobile consular camp in Dallas sees big turnout
The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC recently held a mobile consular camp in Texas' Dallas with the support of the Bangladesh Association of North Texas and the Bangladeshi Expatriate Society of Texas.
During June 10-12, around 897 people received services and the government earned $47,932.50 as revenue.
The consular team was led by Counsellor Arifa Rahman Ruma and First Secretary Muhammad Abdul Hye Milton.
It was the highest turnout and revenue earning in any mobile consular camp organised this year, according to a media statement.
At the mobile consular camps, services like the issuance of no visa required (NVR) for travel to Bangladesh, the execution of the power of attorney and attestation are delivered instantly.
Also, the applications for dual nationality certificate (DNC) and birth registration certificate (BRC) are received for further processing.