Foreign-Affairs
Govt appoints GR firm “Nelson Mullins” to "deepen" Dhaka-Washington ties
Bangladesh has recently appointed a US firm for a year to work to further deepen Dhaka’s relations with Washington, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam confirmed on Thursday.
“This is just to confirm that we’ve recently appointed Nelson Mullins to maintain government to government relations. It’s a GR (government relations) firm,” he told reporters at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
Shahriar hoped that the relations between Bangladesh and the USA will be deepened and strengthened through the appointment of the GR firm in a very transparent manner.
He said the firm has been hired at a monthly pay of US$ 20,000 for its services.
The move comes after the recent US sanctions against Bangladesh’s elite law enforcement force Rapid Action Battalion and seven of its current and former officials.
Also read: Govt hired lobbyists to protect HR offenders: BNP
Shahriar said this is a public document and anybody can have access to it for further details.
While talking to a small group of reporters at his office on February 22, the state minister said they had talked to three firms and indicated to come to a decision within a week.
He also made it clear that they have enough capacity to tackle the matter - either on legal front or diplomatic front – and said the government of Bangladesh does not want to involve a third country in this process.
He said that Bangladesh and the United States would see more engagements through a number of bilateral platforms including ‘Partnership Dialogue’ in the coming months.
Earlier, Bangladesh conveyed its ‘discontent’ over the designated sanctions imposed by the US Departments of Treasury and of State on some of the present and former officials of the Rapid Action Battalion.
Also read: Appointed PR firm, not lobbyist, to change wrong perception: FM
Bangladesh says the decision was taken ‘unilaterally’ by the US Administration without any prior consultation with the government of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh also underscored the need for pursuing the pathway of dialogue, engagement and collaboration.
Dhaka urges restraint and dialogue after Russian invasion of Ukraine
Bangladesh on Thursday expressed deep concern over the recent escalation of violence in Ukraine and urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy.
“Such violence would seriously impact the peace and stability of the whole region,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday sharing Bangladesh's position after Russian troops attacked Ukraine.
Read: Bangladesh to arrange evacuation flight from Poland after its citizens’ entry from Ukraine
The government of Bangladesh said they are also assessing the possible impacts of the crisis on the economy of the region and beyond following the deteriorating situation in the region.
Meanwhile, the government of Bangladesh asked the Bangladesh nationals in Ukraine to move to a safer location and if necessary to Poland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been maintaining close coordination with the Embassy of Bangladesh in Poland.
Read: Ukraine seeks Indian intervention in ending Russian offensive
“We have been extending all out support to the stranded Bangladeshis there for their immediate repatriation to Bangladesh. For smooth coordination of the repatriation process, Bangladesh Embassy in Warsaw has already been strengthened with additional manpower and resources,” said the MoFA, adding that all types of consular assistances are being extended free of cost.
Malaysia will take more manpower from Bangladesh, a visiting minister tells PM
Malaysia is keen to recruit more manpower from Bangladesh particularly for the plantation sector, visiting Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Zuraida Kamaruddin said on Thursday.
The Malaysian minister said this when she paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's official residence Ganobhaban.
Zuraida Kamaruddin discussed the proposal whether workers can be recruited from Bangladesh through Government-to-Government (G2G) channel for the plantation sector, PM's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher told reporters after the meeting.
With the proposed recruitment system, the visiting minister said they want to make sure basic rights and facilities, including decent accommodation and salary for the workers as well as to make the recruitment process easier, transparent and free of hassle and harassment.
Read: D8 has huge potential to develop as a strong economic block, says PM
They are eager to introduce a tracking system to oversee the workers, she said.
Zuraida Kamaruddin said Malaysia thinks that the existing bilateral relations between the two countries will be strengthened further.
The prime minister welcomed the proposal and hoped the bilateral relations with Malaysia would be stronger in the days to come.
The Malaysian minister lauded the PM for her successful Covid-19 pandemic management.
She hailed Sheikh Hasina as symbol of achievement for all the global women as what she said the Bangladesh leader is one of the most influential women leaders in the world.Hasina thanked the Malaysian government for extending Covid vaccination support to Bangladesh and conveyed good wishes to the Malaysian prime minister.
Read: Bangladesh calls for addressing root causes of climate-induced displacementZuraida also conveyed the greetings of the Malaysian Prime Minister to the Bangladesh Premier.
PM's Ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus and the Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim were present.
Bangladesh to arrange evacuation flight from Poland after its citizens’ entry from Ukraine
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Thursday said the government will arrange chartered flights to bring back Bangladeshis who would leave warn-stricken Ukraine and arrive in neighbouring Poland.
“Our first task is to bring our citizens to Poland safely from Ukraine,” he told reporters at his office, adding that they have already talked to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and Biman Bangladesh Airlines about the possible evacuation.
The state minister said they will finalize the modalities of evacuation from Poland and if necessary they will talk to foreign airlines too.
“They (Bangladeshis) need to come to the Polish border from Ukraine with their own arrangement,” he said, adding that the Polish government, earlier, assured of providing visas for them to cross the border which is yet to begin.
Poland will allow Bangladeshis to stay for 15 days upon their arrival from Ukraine and the government of Bangladesh hopes to repatriate its citizens much ahead of the timeline.
Shahriar said Bangladesh Embassy in Poland is taking preparations to provide accommodation facilities for Bangladeshis’ stay there until their evacuation.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Warsaw approached the Polish government on Thursday morning again to issue arrival visas urgently.
“We’re sending additional officials from our missions in Italy and Germany so that required services can be provided to Bangladeshis within the shortest possible time,” said the state minister.
Read: Ukraine says Russian army attacked from Belarus
Bangladesh on Thursday asked its nationals in Ukraine "to move to safer places" with Kyiv closing its airspace amid a Russian invasion while the country's embassy in Poland is exploring ways to give Bangladeshis shelter.
An estimated 500 Bangladeshi nationals, including students, are currently stranded in Ukraine.
Bangladesh's Embassy in Poland said that it is in touch with the host government as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka "regarding further steps to ensure the safety of Bangladeshis in Ukraine".
"Around 500 Bangladeshis are in direct touch with us. We have asked them to take shelter in safer places," Bangladesh's Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain told UNB over the phone from Warsaw.
She said they are preparing a database which will be shared with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland as traveling to Poland would require visas.
The ambassador said they also will request the Polish government to allow Bangladeshis into the country, noting that some of the Bangladeshis might not have passports who will require travel permits.
“We’ll seek to know how to proceed considering the current situation," she said.
Asked about exact figure of Bangladeshis in Ukraine including undocumented ones, she said they were getting a number in between 1000-1500 but many moved from Ukraine already. We don’t have an accurate figure.”
The ambassador said Bangladeshis are not concentrated in a single place and those who are in touch with the embassy informed this morning about bombing and siren.
Read: Russia-Ukraine: What to know as Russia attacks Ukraine
“We had a meeting with them last night. We asked them to move to safer places with required food and money,” said the envoy.
She said they are getting updates from those who are in touch with the embassy but they are yet to establish contact with others.
However, she said that they (Bangladeshis) are encouraged to share information with each other so that others can also get in touch with the mission.
Bangladesh does not currently have an embassy or a consulate in Ukraine. The country's embassy in Poland takes care of its Ukraine affairs.
On February 15, the embassy asked Bangladeshi nationals in Ukraine to consider leaving Ukraine temporarily in view of the volatile situation in that country.
Bangladeshi nationals were also advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Ukraine and keep the embassy in Poland informed about the status of their presence in Ukraine to enable the mission to reach them easily, according to an earlier advisory.
Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen".
Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of a Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected regime.
Bangladesh envoy to UAE gets 1 year extension
The government has extended the tenure of Md Abu Zafar as Bangladesh Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by one year on contractual basis.
The Public Administration Ministry has issued a gazette notification saying the new appointment will be effective from March 1 this year or date of joining.
Read:Mayor of London urged to declare 21st February as the “London Multilingual Day"
Meanwhile, journalist Sabrina Karim Murshed has been appointed as the first secretary at Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore for a period of three years on contractual basis, according to separate gazette notification.
Zafar, who served as Bangladesh Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Offices in Vienna, was appointed as Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE in February, 2020.
Zafar joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre in 1991.
Read: Rear Admiral Azad new Bangladesh envoy to Maldives
In his diplomatic career, he also served in Bangladesh missions in The Hague, Karachi, Los Angeles, Dubai and different wings at the headquarters in various capacities.
Zafar obtained his BSc (Honours) degree in Agriculture from Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University and MBA in Banking in Finance from Preston University, the USA (Overseas Campus) as well as Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the International Institute of Public Administration (IIAP), Paris.
Mayor of London urged to declare 21st February as the “London Multilingual Day"
Bangladesh High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Saida Muna Tasneem has called upon the Mayor of London to declare the 21st February as the “London Multilingual Day.”
“I call upon the Mayor of London for announcing the 21st February as London’s Multilingual Day to promote multilingualism, greater intercultural harmony and understanding amongst over 300 multi-ethnic communities that enriched the cultural landscape of Greater London,” said the High Commissioner.
She made the call during a recent event, organised by the Bangladesh High Commission, London in partnership with UK National Commission for UNESCO to commemorate the Language Martyrs’ Day and the ‘International Mother Language Day' under the theme, “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and Opportunities”.
Read:Rear Admiral Azad new Bangladesh envoy to Maldives
The envoy said that given Bengali is the third most spoken language in Greater London, the High Commission would facilitate Bengali language learning to the new generation of British-Bangladeshis.
Paying rich tribute to 1952 language martyrs and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the high commissioner recalled that according to BBC Bangabandhu was the first Bengali to take Bangla at the United Nations General Assembly; and his missionary daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now carrying forward the legacy by internationalising the Bangla Language Martyr’s Day as International Mother Language Day as well as advocating for recognising Bangla as an official language of the UN.
The envoy also called upon the British Council to support conservation of more than 7000 mother languages at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka, established by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland, UK Ambassador to UNESCO Laura Davies, Turkish Ambassador to the UK Ümit Yalçın, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia Aleksandra Miovska,
Ambassador of Cuba to the UK Bárbara Montalvo Álvarez, Ambassador of Georgia to the UK Sophie Katsarava, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK Saroja Sirisena, Ambassador of Indonesia to the UK, Dr. Desra Percaya, Maya Sivagnanam, Deputy Director of the British Foreign and Development Office, Amish Tripathi, Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Michael Connolly, Director of the British Council, Lyricist of Amar Ekushey theme song and eminent columnist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, Bangladesh Liberation War Action Committee UK veteran Sultan Mahmud Sharif and the co-partner of the High Commission's commemorative event, the Chief Executive of the UK National Commission for UNESCO James Bridge spoke at the event.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC paid rich tributes to the language martyrs and Bangabandhu and said,“The 21st February is a great day for the international community to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, which also reminds me of my Dominican roots and mother tongue, the Creole language.”
Rear Admiral Azad new Bangladesh envoy to Maldives
The government has appointed Rear Admiral S M Abul Kalam Azad as the new High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Republic of Maldives.
Rear Admiral Azad was commissioned in the Bangladesh Navy on July 1, 1987, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
In his long and distinguished career, he has served in various staff, instructional and command appointments at different levels.
Read:Bangladesh calls for addressing root causes of climate-induced displacement
He received the prestigious "Nou Gaurab Padak" for his professional excellence and exceptional service in the Bangladesh Navy.
Before joining the Foreign Ministry, he was serving as the Commander of Bangladesh Navy Fleet.
Rear Admiral Azad is married to Naomee Nahreen and blessed with a son and a daughter.
Bangladesh calls for addressing root causes of climate-induced displacement
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has said the Paris Agreement, SDGs and Sendai Framework must be fully implemented to address the root causes of climate-induced migration and displacement.
He made the call while speaking at a webinar on "Climate Change and Migration and Displacement Nexus" on Tuesday.
António Vitorino, Director-General, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives France, Egypt and Germany, Charge d'affaires of Ghana, and representatives from different stakeholders spoke.
Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh in Geneva, moderated the webinar.
Read: Bangladesh, US can work together to showcase effective climate actions: FM
The webinar was organized by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in Geneva under the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Bangladesh is currently leading the 55- member forum for the second term.
Mentioning that Bangladesh is at the forefront of the climate crisis, the State Minister said that migration and displacement of a staggering number of people are inevitable unless climate actions are not accelerated globally.
D8 has huge potential to develop as a strong economic block, says PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the D-8 countries collectively have a great potential to emerge as a powerful economic block.
She made the remarks when Secretary General of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Isiaka Abdul Qadir Imam met her at Ganobhaban here.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihasanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
“The D-8 countries collectively have a great potential to emerge as a powerful economic block,” the PM was quoted as saying.
During the meeting, both the PM and the D-8 Secretary General reiterated the need for materializing preferential trade agreements to harness the immense potential for promoting trade among the member states.
They emphasized the need for exploring the thrust sector of D-8 like trade, economy, commerce, transport, agriculture, tourism, education and energy.
Hasina expressed satisfaction at the successful hosting of 10th D-8 Summit, held virtually in Dhaka in April 2021 amid the global pandemic.
She iterated Bangladesh’s full commitment in steering the important events of D-8 under Bangladesh’s chairmanship in the coming days.
The PM congratulated him on his assumption as the secretary general of D-8.
She hoped that his leadership would add further dynamism in introducing new ideas for innovative partnership among D-8 member countries.
Hasina apprised him of the success achieved in the agriculture sector of Bangladesh saying that the researchers here developed the drought- and saline-tolerant variants of rice and Bangladesh can share its experiences with D-8 countries in the agriculture sector.
The D-8 secretary general appreciated Bangladesh’s progress in the ICT sector.
He expressed keen interest in Bangladesh's specialised economic zones.
PM’s Ambassador-at–large Mohammad Ziauddin and PM’s Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus were present at the meeting.
Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam assumed the position of the Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) on 01 January 2022.
The D-8 member countries are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
BGMEA delegation visits International Trade Union Confederation in Brussels
A delegation of BGMEA led by its President Faruque Hassan met with Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on Tuesday in Brussels.
This is the first-ever official visit by a delegation from BGMEA to ITUC, which included Vice President Miran Ali and Directors Asif Ashraf, Tanvir Ahmed and Abdullah Hil Rakib.
Alison Tate, Director, Economic and Social Policy, and Paapa Danquah, Director, Legal, ITUC were also present at the meeting.
In the meeting the BGMEA leaders apprised the ITUC general secretary about the exemplary progress made by Bangladesh’s garment industry, particularly in the areas of workplace safety, decent working conditions, workers’ rights and their wellbeing.
They shed light on how massive training, awareness raising initiatives over these years were put in place to create the culture of safety, which covered occupational safety and health issues, as well as social dialogue and industrial relations.
The government, factory owners and representative of workers’ organizations work in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration to resolve the labour-related disputes and maintain harmonious industrial relations for the greater interests of the RMG sector, the BGMEA leaders informed the ITUC.
They also shared with her the ongoing initiatives of the industry to ensure welfare of garment workers in Bangladesh and asserted the firm commitment of the RMG industry to continue efforts in these areas in the coming days.
In the meeting both BGMEA and ITUC leaders discussed possible avenues of cooperation and collaboration for the benefits of the RMG industry of Bangladesh and its more than 4 million workers.