foreign-affairs
Envoy urges Bangladeshi businessmen to visit Romania to boost bilateral business ties
Romanian Ambassador to Bangladesh Daniela-Mariana Sezonov Tane has called upon the Bangladeshi business representatives to visit the southeastern European country to boost bilateral business ties.
Daniela paid a courtesy call on Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin on Monday.
The ambassador said her country has progressed a lot in chemical products, machinery, energy, clean energy, and solar power production. "We will conduct gas exploration in the sea by 2026."
However, she also said: "Most of the people from Bangladesh with Romanian visas disappear from the airport to move to other European countries. The Romanian government suffers financial losses for paying the agencies."
Read more: Momen thanks Romania for issuing visas from Dhaka
The FBCCI president said more skilled people could be sent to Romania from Bangladesh if job opportunities with good salaries are ensured. "The concerned ministries would provide the necessary support in this regard."
"Bangladesh has huge potential in the IT sector along with readymade garments, textile, food processing, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, plastic products, jute and jute products," he added.
"About seven lakh people are involved in freelancing. If these freelancers get more work orders, the sector will get a boost. The hiring companies will also get benefitted."
Jashim also urged the envoy to work for strengthening business-to-business (B2B) engagements between Romania and Bangladesh, according to a media release issued by FBCCI.
Read more: 50 Years of Relations: Romania keen to deepen ties with Bangladesh
Bangladesh role model for development under PM Hasina's leadership: China
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming has said Bangladesh has become a role model for development studies across the globe under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an "extraordinary" female figure.
"As a gesture of cordial friendship, several megastructures built by China are named after Bangabandhu and Bangamata. Wherever I go, local people give me a thumbs-up for the Chinese contribution to Bangladesh's modernisation," he said.
Ambassador Jiming, who left Dhaka on Monday, in a farewell message said, "More than three years on, now I am filled with satisfaction by what my embassy and I have achieved with the assistance and support of all colleagues and friends."
He said their joint fight against the pandemic leaves the deepest impression as it touches the softest part of his heart.
Ambassador Jiming said both China and Bangladesh are fervent believers in development. "So, economic cooperation has become a major propeller of bilateral relations."
As of now, the stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) from China to Bangladesh amounts to $2.93 billion, which has grown by nearly 40 percent over the past three years, he said.
Read more: Kishore Mahbubani in Dhaka: Geopolitical terrain gets trickier amid US-China contest
The Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Chattogram is being built with sound progress, he added.
The envoy said Bangladesh is also at a crucial point in realising its dream of "Sonar Bangla."
"Though not easy, Team Bangladesh is taking the lead in the match. I feel so lucky to have witnessed this whole process as a top fan seated in the front row," he added.
"The final whistle has not yet been blown. Let's keep playing, cheer for each other, and win the game together."
Read more: China to work with IORA for global development: Envoy
ILO Tokyo office wants to continue supporting human rights due diligence in Bangladesh
The International Labour Organization (ILO) Tokyo office has expressed Japan's interest in further supporting and collaborating for human rights due diligence – a process for identifying, preventing, mitigating, and accounting for human rights impacts – in Bangladesh.
A key component of human rights due diligence is meaningful engagement with stakeholders, particularly rights-holders such as employees, community members, human rights defenders, supply chain workers, and consumers.
Read: BGMEA urges global brands, buyers to adopt strategies for promoting mutual growth
A delegation comprising high officials from the ILO Tokyo office paid a courtesy call on BGMEA President Faruque Hassan in the capital Monday.
The delegation, led by ILO Tokyo Office Programme Coordinator Yuki Kobayashi included Training and Research Officer Arisa Haboshi and Research Manager Kyohei Yabu.
Syed Niaz, team leader of Better Work Bangladesh, was also present.
BGMEA vice-presidents Md Nasir Uddin, and Miran Ali; directors Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee, Abdullah Hil Rakib, Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan and Inamul Haq Khan also attended the meeting.
Read: BGMEA urges Rajuk to allocate land for apparel club for foreign nationals
They discussed the possible scope of collaboration to carry forward the achievements made by Bangladesh's readymade garments industry particularly in the area of workplace safety, occupational safety and health, workers' rights and their well-being.
Faruque gave an overview of how safety initiatives alongside extensive training of workers jointly taken by the government, brands, and the ILO have transformed Bangladesh's readymade garments (RMG) sector into "one of the safest industries in the world."
He also highlighted the initiatives and programmes, including the ILO's Better Work Program in the RMG sector to promote decent working conditions in the garment factories in Bangladesh.
Dhaka seeks Riyadh's support to meet energy needs
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday said Bangladesh needs brotherly support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in meeting its energy needs.
He said this while reflecting on the current energy crisis in view of the Russia- Ukraine war when KSA Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yousef Essa Al Duhailan met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read: UAE keen to scale up engagements with Bangladesh
The Saudi envoy stated that he would take up the issue with the concerned Saudi stakeholders.
The Saudi envoy also apprised the Minister about the recent terrorist activities conducted by the Houthis in Arab peninsula despite ceasefire.
He appreciated the role of Bangladesh in supporting Saudi Arabia and in denouncing terrorism against the Houthis.
Read: Argentina’s foreign minister says will open embassy in Dhaka: Media report
During the meeting, the State Minister underlined the need to engage more efforts to scale up bilateral collaboration beyond the traditional labour market and Hajj and Umrah.
He stated that Saudi Arabia was playing a more visible role in multilateral fora which is encouraging for the Muslim Ummah.
Quiz competition on 50 years of Bangladesh-Japan friendship held
The Embassy of Japan and Youth Opportunities on Monday jointly organized the prize giving ceremony of “50 years of Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Quiz Competition” in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh.
The competition aimed at building better awareness among the Bangladeshi youth regarding the beneficial friendship between these two friendly nations with a fun learning activity.
The week-long online quiz competition was held between November 27 and December 3, 2022, and seven winners among more than seven thousand participants were selected.
Read: EWU wins cultural competition at ULAB's 8th Inter-University Student Conference
Outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki and other guests handed prizes to the winners.
Ambassador Naoki congratulated the winners and emphasized the significance of this initiative by reiterating the strong multifaceted bilateral ties between Japan and Bangladesh.
Co-founder of Youth Opportunities Osama Bin Noor mentioned that this competition has engaged thousands of Bangladeshi youth and enhanced their knowledge of Japan-Bangladesh relations, and he was glad that it was a great success.
Read: National rounds of 13th Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition on international humanitarian law ends
In the future, he hoped that the youth of Bangladesh and Japan will work together to take our friendship to a different height.
Representatives of Grameen Euglena, Grameen Uniqlo, Japanese Commerce and Industry Association in Dhaka (JCIAD) attended the ceremony.
The Daily Star and Dainik Bangla were the media partners of this competition. Their representatives also joined the event.
UAE keen to scale up engagements with Bangladesh
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sought cooperation from the Bangladesh government for operation of Abu Dhabi-based Wizz Air flights between Abu Dhabi and Dhaka/Chittagong as a low-cost airline.
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Bangladesh Abdullah Ali Al Hamoudi met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday and discussed issues of mutual interest.
Foreign Minister Momen has said the relationship between Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is becoming stronger day by day.
He listened to the envoy and assured of full cooperation. Momen further stressed to strengthen cooperation on food security, energy security and climate change issues between Bangladesh and the UAE.
The UAE envoy expressed his country’s interests to scale up the bilateral engagements between the two countries.
He underlined the need to enhance cooperation on trade and investment, air and shipping connection, agriculture, food security, floating based solar energy, pharmaceuticals, IT, afforestation, alliance for mangrove forest etc.
Also read: FM lauds FOSA initiatives
The Ambassador requested the Foreign Minister for support of Bangladesh during COP 28 to be held in Dubai in 2023.
The Foreign Minister congratulated the Ambassador for his new assignment and assured him all possible cooperation from the Ministry.
The Ambassador highly appreciated the development of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
Momen said during the tenure of the Ambassador, the bilateral relations would further expand for mutual benefits.
He deeply appreciated the UAE leadership for transforming the UAE as the role model for development and prosperity.
The Foreign Minister particularly thanked the leadership for hosting the spectacular arrangement of Expo 2020 Dubai.
Argentina’s foreign minister says will open embassy in Dhaka: Media report
Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero has announced that the South American country will open an embassy in Bangladesh.
The decision follows Bangladesh’s overwhelming support for Lionel Messi and the Argentina team playing in the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022, reports MercoPress, a south Atlantic news agency, on Sunday (December 11, 2022).
Bangladesh has always had a die-hard Argentina fanbase, but during this Qatar World Cup, they grabbed global attention by displaying their immense passion. It all began when a video of ecstatic Bangladeshi supporters cheering Messi’s goal against Mexico was posted by the official FIFA Twitter account.
Read more: Kushtia divided by Argentina, Brazil as World Cup fever grips Bangladesh
The tale of Bangladesh and Argentina quickly went viral, and started trending on the internet. The Argentine media also covered it. Later, the official Twitter account of Argentina’s national football team tweeted about Bangladesh with the following message: “Thank you for supporting our team!! They are crazy like us!”
Argentines joined the media and journalists in expressing their gratitude for Bangladesh on social media. As a reciprocation for Bangladesh’s undying love for the Argentine football team, an Argentine fan group for the Bangladesh national cricket team was created on social media.
The MercoPress report quoted Argentine Foreign Minister Cafiero saying he will visit Bangladesh next year to finalise the proposal after participating in the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in India.
Read more: Argentina keen to exporting soybean, fertilizer to Bangladesh
In August this year, Cafiero met with his Bangladeshi counterpart, AK Abdul Momen, to promote bilateral cooperation and agreed to “widen potential for trade growth.”
The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they seek to explore bilateral relations, mainly in the commercial aspect, and to diversify trade through opening an embassy in Bangladesh, as per the media report.
Last year, Argentina exported products – mostly wheat, corn, and by-products of soybeans – worth USD 876 million to Bangladesh, a record high that resulted in a USD 862 million trade surplus for the South American nation.
Read More: Anti-Corruption Award: US Embassy in Dhaka congratulates journalist Rozina Islam
In July, Argentina informed Bangladesh that the South American country is open to exporting soybean, beef and fertilizer to Bangladesh.
UK continues to push for a long-term solution through safe repatriation of Rohingyas: Dickson
The United Kingdom is contributing an additional £4.5 million to sustain the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, lifting its funding from the start of the crisis in August 2017 to a total of £345 million.
This additional support to WFP (£3m) and UNICEF (£1.5m) will provide food, water, sanitation, and child protection to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson on Sunday said the UK remains committed to supporting Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.
"This new UK assistance will provide vital food, water, sanitation, and protection to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char," he said.
“The UK continues to push for a long-term solution that will enable the Rohingya to return to Myanmar on a safe, voluntary and dignified basis, when the conditions there allow. We will continue to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh," said the High Commissioner.
This new UK support will provide food assistance to 219,000 Rohingya refugees: water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for 46,000 Rohingya refugees; 8,500 menstrual hygiene kits for Rohingya women and adolescent girls, protection support to 1,500 children and adolescents from the refugee camps and host communities.
“People to determine who will rule this nation; not external power, internal conspiracy”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not “bend down to any external pressure” or internal conspiracy to derail the nation from its constitutional path towards democracy and fundamental freedom, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam in unison on Sunday.
They said the government is determined to hold the next parliamentary elections in a free, fair, transparent and participatory manner under the independent election commission.
They were speaking at a seminar titled “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: Bangladesh Perspectives,” organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Service Academy marking the International Human Rights Day.
Foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka including US Ambassador Peter Haas, British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson, EU Ambassador Charles Whiteley, Swedish Ambassador Alex Berg von Linde and Maldives High Commissioner Shiruzimath Sameer, were present.
“We have achieved our independence to uphold democracy, justice, human rights and human dignity,” said Foreign Minister Momen, adding that everyone in this country is a strong believer of human rights, justice and fairness.
He, however, said this is not a time to feel better, rather it is time to examine and remind them that they have a long way to go.
“There is nothing perfect, there are problems. We all have to work together in partnership and in collaboration to help improve the situations,” Momen said.
He said they all should work in unison with an open heart and with sincerity so that they can help improve the situation and uphold human dignity.
Kishore Mahbubani in Dhaka: Geopolitical terrain gets trickier amid US-China contest
The 'geopolitical contest' between the United States and China will only grow in intensity over the next 10 years, affecting billions around the globe, while countries like Bangladesh will face great challenges in managing all its impacts.
That is according to the renowned author, diplomat and geopolitical consultant Kishore Mahbubani, who delivered the keynote address at the latest edition of the Cosmos Dialogue at a city hotel on Sunday.
“No matter where you live, no matter what you do, your lives will be affected or disrupted by this geopolitical contest. I can guarantee you,” said Mahbubani, former Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.
Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue titled “Emerging Asian Nations in Global Geopolitics: Implications for Bangladesh” as part of its Distinguished Speakers’ Series, chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, ex-permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, as well as advisor on foreign affairs to the last caretaker government.
The opening remarks were delivered by Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan.
Mahbubani, an analyst with unrivalled access to policymakers in Beijing and Washington, said the world is in a difficult and complex situation, and termed the contest between the USA and China as the 'biggest since the beginning of history' - given the sheer size, scale and influence of the contestants.
As a result, Mahbubani, who served two stints as Singapore's permanent representative to the UN, including a spell as president of the Security Council between 2001 and 2002, said Bangladesh will face difficulties and challenges as it wants to have good ties with both the US and China.
He said the situation is a bit harder in South Asia due to the absence of any effective regional association like ASEAN. With SAARC proving ineffective, Mahbubani believes how India handles the fallout of the US-China contest would have bearing on Bangladesh.