Foreign-Affairs
Promoting democracy, HR to remain paramount: US
The United States has said promoting democracy, good governance and human rights will remain paramount in this 50th anniversary year of the Bangladesh-US bilateral relationship.
“Working together, we must commit ourselves to promoting respect for human rights. We must speak honestly about the challenges we face. Progress on human rights begins with the facts,” said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Ambassador Peter Haas on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, at a briefing on the latest country report on Bangladesh’s human rights practices and US support to advance protection of human rights at the American Centre auditorium, an official at the US Embassy said the United States does not only report on human rights and abuses. “We also come alongside countries to work together to make things better.”
The official, who cannot be identified under briefing rules, said the United States is committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable.
“The human rights report does not rank countries or draw comparisons across them. It does not attempt to catalog every human rights-related incident that occurred in a country in a given year,” he said, adding that the human rights report also does not include recommendations or policy suggestions.
READ: Home Minister dismisses US HR report as misinformation
Rather, the official said, it focuses on seven areas of human rights- respect for the Integrity of the Person, which deals with unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary arrest; respect for civil liberties, including freedom of expression, assembly and association, religion, movement, and protection of refugees; freedom to participate in the political process; corruption and lack of transparency in the government; governmental posture towards international and nongovernmental investigation of alleged abuses of human rights; discrimination and societal abuses, including rights of women, children, sexual and gender minorities, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities; and worker rights, including the right to unions and safe working conditions, and the prohibition of forced labor, child labor, and employment discrimination.
On Tuesday, the State Department released the annual human rights report that strives to provide an “objective record” of the status of human rights worldwide. It covers 198 countries and territories for the calendar year 2021.
“These are factual reports,” said the US Embassy official, adding that the guiding principle is that all information be reported objectively, thoroughly, fairly.
Dhaka trashes US HR report as “lie, wrong and misinformation”
The government on Wednesday criticised the US report on Bangladesh’s human rights practices that contains some “misinformation” collected primarily from the “anti-government propaganda” machines.
“We’re thoroughly studying the report and will share in detail with the press on Sunday,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam told reporters as his initial comment was sought on the report.
He said the government will do whatever is necessary to help the US government to come out from the “wrong perception.”
Also read:US seeks to reassert global leadership role in struggle for human dignity, liberty
Shahriar pointed out a number of areas of the report in which the government what he says was blamed without any justification. “It’s wrong. It's a lie. It’s far from reality.”
He referred to the section of same-sex sexual conduct and said it is something against the religion Islam. “You show me a Muslim-majority country which approves LGBTQI+.”
The state minister said the government will never compromise on LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) no matter what pressure a country or institution tries to put on Bangladesh.
“This (promoting LGBTQI+) will be something like standing against the people of the country and religion,” he said.
He also talked about the issue of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia which was mentioned in the US report. Reiterating the government position he said Khaleda is not a political prisoner or detainee.
“We explained the issue several times to foreign envoys and the international community. Purely on humanitarian grounds, she was allowed to stay at home being released from jail,” he said.
He said the government has been blamed as in August last year for at least 11 Rohingya’s death after their boat capsized while trying to leave Bhasan Char. “Is it our fault? We have been blamed for that.”
Shahriar said no country is more serious than Bangladesh when it comes to humanitarian issues and everybody knows how serious Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is.
The US report mentioned that there were reports of “widespread impunity” for security force abuses and corruption and the government took “few measures” to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption and abuse and killing by security forces.
When sought his comment on it, the state minister said, “Not at all.”
He said the government shared everything it is doing due to current extensive engagement following the sanctions imposed on elite force Rab.
“In every country, law enforcement agencies go through some challenges. People are being killed in the Rohingya camps due to internal feud. When our forces go there taking risks and if they need to open fire and if someone is killed, blame will be imposed on us. We need to come out from such things (blames),” said Shahriar.
He said they expect Bangladesh’s friends to understand the ground realities, challenges, Bangladesh’s constitutions, religions, culture and language and hoped that the international community will not try to come up with demands like LGBTQI+ showing enough respect to those issues.
Progress Begins with Facts
The State Department on Tuesday night released the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, an annual report required by U.S. law.
US President Joe Biden has put human rights at the centre of his foreign policy. The United States said they are committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable.
“Working together, we must commit ourselves to promoting respect for human rights. We must speak honestly about the challenges we face. Progress on human rights begins with the facts,” said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas.
Also read:Withdrawal of Sanctions: Bangladesh to appoint lawyers in US
Guided by the United Nations’ Universal Declarations on Human Rights and subsequent human rights treaties, the country reports cover observance of and respect for internationally recognized human rights and worker rights.
The country reports do not draw legal conclusions, rate countries, or declare whether they failed to meet standards.
“President Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights,” said the US Embassy in Dhaka.
In this 50th anniversary year of the U.S.-Bangladesh bilateral relationship, promoting democracy, good governance, and human rights will remain paramount, it said.
PM Hasina greets Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.
In a message of felicitations, Bangladesh's Prime Minister stressed that the entire region must work together to overcome the challenges for its common benefits, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also read:Sharif sworn in as Pakistan’s new PM after week of drama
Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected opposition lawmaker Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister, following a week of political turmoil that led to the ouster of Premier Imran Khan, according to AP.
Sharif, the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won with 174 votes after more than 100 lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, resigned and walked out of the National Assembly in protest.
US seeks to reassert global leadership role in struggle for human dignity, liberty
The United States on Tuesday released 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and said they will continue to support those around the world struggling for human dignity and liberty.
There is much progress to be made in the United States and globally, reads the report. By working together, the US said, they can come closer to building a world where respect for human rights is truly universal.
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivered on-camera remarks on the release of the global report at the US Department of State.
READ: US seeks equitable treatment of all businesses in Bangladesh
Promoting respect for human rights and defending fundamental freedoms are central to the US.
Required by US law to be produced annually, the Biden administration in its first two years has clearly attached much more weight to their findings than was seen during the Republican administration of Donald Trump. The reports document the status of human rights and worker rights in 198 countries and territories.
The stability, security, and health of any country depends on the ability of its people to freely exercise their human rights – to feel safe and included in their communities while expressing their views or gender, loving who they love, organizing with their coworkers, peacefully assembling, living by their conscience, and using their voices and reporting from independent media to hold governments accountable, according to the US Department of State.
Building on longstanding allegations with regards to Bangladesh, the latest US report on the country claims that the government took few measures to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption, and also of abuse and killing by security forces.
Centre for Genocide Studies inks tripartite MoU with Taylor's University, Bangladesh High Commission, Kuala Lumpur
Centre for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Taylor's University, Malaysia and Bangladesh High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The virtual MoU signing ceremony was held on Monday as a part of the Golden Jubilee of the diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia.
The goal behind this is to strengthen, enrich and put an official stamp on an ongoing partnership between these two countries.
Romanian consular team likely to arrive Dhaka April 15
A consular team from Romania is expected to arrive Dhaka on April 15.
They are likely to start providing visa services from April 17, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Romania.
Also read:Romania to send Consular team to Dhaka for 3 months
Interested applicants have been advised to submit visa files to the designated desk at the BMET building in city's Kakrail.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry is sending the Consular team to Dhaka for three months to issue about 5000 visas including 3400 pending visas.
"They need some local assistance. This is the first time that they are sending such kind of consular mission abroad," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Monday.
Also read:Romanian ambassador presents credentials to President Hamid amid hope of growing Dhaka-Bucharest ties
Following the bilateral consultation held in October 2021 between the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania approved opening of the temporary Consular office in Dhaka and sending a delegation for three months.
Withdrawal of Sanctions: Bangladesh to appoint lawyers in US
Bangladesh will appoint certified lawyers in the United States to pursue the withdrawal of sanctions imposed on the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).
“We’re in the process of appointing legal assistance in the US,” Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said this week, noting that it is a legal process, not an administrative one.
As Bangladeshi lawyers will not be able to do the job, it will have to be done by the certified lawyers in the US, he said, adding that some initial legal steps have been taken already.
The foreign secretary said the process is different in dealing with the sanctions on individuals and Rab as an institution.
Read: No defence procurement from US now; signing GSOMIA to take time: FS
He recently visited the United States and accompanied Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on April 4.
Masud also led the Bangladesh delegation at the 8th Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue held in Washington.
Bangladesh sought resumption of training and capacity building programmes for its law enforcement agencies in any format.
No defence procurement from US now; signing GSOMIA to take time: FS
Bangladesh is not going to procure any arms from the United States at this moment but instead focusing on its economic development for the welfare of its people, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said.
“At this moment there’s no procurement (arms) issue. Our key aim is economic development,” he said, adding that they are still in the third stage of the five-stage process before signing the proposed General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the USA.
The foreign secretary said the US is interested to sign the GSOMIA for some “safeguards” on any possible advanced defence equipment procurement in the future but it will take time to complete the remaining stages.
He made it clear that there is no reason to think that Bangladesh is going for a big procurement from the US.
GSOMIA is seen as a "gateway" to do more on the security front including procurement of heavy-duty defence equipment and Bangladesh says it will take the final decision after analyzing national interests. “It’s not something that we need to procure equipment (defence) at this moment.”
Read: Bhasan Char needs more resources to fulfill Rohingyas’ expectations: Ambassador Naoki
While talking to a small group of journalists this week, the foreign secretary said the US side handed over the latest version of the GSOMIA draft to the Bangladesh side during US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland’s Dhaka visit last month.
Responding to a question, he said the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) is also under consideration but it is not Bangladesh’s priority right now.
The US says GSOMIA and ACSA are "essential" to enabling a closer defense relationship, expanding opportunities for defense trade, information sharing, and military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.
The GSOMIA is a foundational government-to-government bilateral agreement that will permit greater collaboration and sharing of classified military information in the form of intelligence and classified information on US defense equipment.
GSOMIA is a reciprocal, legally binding agreement that ensures governments understand and commit to protect classified military information at an equivalent level of security, according to US documents.
Foreign Secretary Masud, However, said Bangladesh wants to diversify sourcing different kinds of equipment and defence related materials as part of the “Forces Goal-2030.”
Read: Difficult to adjust ties with Russia: FS
Obviously, Bangladesh will think of procuring equipment from the US as per Bangladesh’s requirement in the future, he added.
Bangladesh finds good performance of the used equipment (boats) already given by the US to Bangladesh Coastguard and there was discussion between the two sides to get such boats in the future.
Masud recently visited the United States and accompanied Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on April 4.
The foreign secretary also led the Bangladesh delegation at the 8th Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue held in Washington.
Govt pondering significant shake up in personnel to key missions abroad
The government is “thinking of” bringing changes in a number of important missions abroad, including Washington, New Delhi, Canberra and Geneva.
This is according to a highly placed diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, although they did add it may still take a "couple of" months at least to complete the necessary procedures for the planned changes, and that nothing is finalized yet.
But they did disclose some very specific possibilities.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to New Delhi Muhammad Imran is likely to be the next ambassador to the USA if everything goes well, while current Ambassador M Shahidul Islam will return to Dhaka.
The government appointed Shahidul Islam, who served as the Secretary General of BIMSTEC, as Ambassador to the USA in September 2020.
Islam is a career foreign service officer belonging to 1985 batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre and served in Bangladesh Missions in Kolkata, Geneva and Washington DC.
READ: Brand Bangladesh, tap opportunities: Momen to missions abroad
He served as Ambassador of Bangladesh to South Korea and France. At the headquarters, he worked in various capacities including Director General (Americas) and Director General (Europe).
In January this year, the government extended contractual appointment of Muhammad Imran by three more years as Bangladesh High Commissioner to India.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices and other International Organizations in Geneva Md. Mustafizur Rahman is likely to be appointed as Bangladesh High Commissioner to India.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia Mohammad Sufiur Rahman is likely to become Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Offices and other International Organizations in Geneva.
Difficult to adjust ties with Russia: FS
Bangladesh continues to maintain very close relations with Russia and it is “difficult” for the country to try to “adjust” the relationship, even if anyone would like it to amid the current situation in Ukraine.
Talking to a small group of reporters on Monday, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen conveyed that Bangladesh has taken its positions on the succesive UN resolutions in line with its “historical relations” with Russia.
Foreign Secretary Masud recently visited the United States and accompanied Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on April 4.
READ: HLPF 2021: Masud Bin Momen catches onto data as the 'new/next oil'
The Foreign Secretary also led the Bangladesh delegation at the 8th Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue held in Washington.
The Russia-Ukraine war was discussed in the regional and international contexts and Bangladesh conveyed its position to the United States, highlighting Bangladesh’s relations with Russia which are still extensive and close.
The Foreign Secretary also said Bangladesh will continue to focus on its economic priorities like the Rooppur project, which Bangladesh wants to complete.
He reiterated that Bangladesh wants to have friendly and diversified relations with all countries.