foreign-affairs
China renews calls for peace talks to end Russia-Ukraine war
The ongoing tragedy in Ukraine has broken hearts of many, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said on Wednesday, reiterating that his country stands for peace and opposes war.
To give peace a chance, he said, China sets two priorities: to promote peace talks, and to relieve humanitarian crisis.
"China has put forward a six-point humanitarian initiative, and has, by far, provided millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to the war-torn people in Ukraine," said the ambassador in a video message.
He said, "To call for truce or hostility, to provide food or lethal weapons, to try to put out the fire or add fuel to it -- which one is easing, and which one is worsening the problem? What do you think?"
10 killed in India road accident
As many as 10 people were killed and eight others injured when a vehicle carrying them crashed into a tractor trolley parked along a highway in the western Indian state of Rajasthan Tuesday.
The accident occurred on the highway in Jhunjhunu district, some 180km from state capital Jaipur.
"Those killed were members of the same family, returning home from a pilgrimage. Their vehicle rammed into the tractor trolley at high speed," district police chief Pradeep Mohan Sharma told the local media.
"The injured are being treated at a nearby hospital," the officer said, adding that"the condition of one of them is critical".
READ: 18 die in India road crash
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to condole the deaths.
"My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. May god give them strength to bear this loss and may the souls of the departed rest in peace. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the accident," he wrote.
Road accidents are very common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are often blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws.
Indian government's implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years have failed to rein in accidents, which claimed over 100,000 lives every year.
Signing of FTA among priority issues in FM's meeting with Singapore president
President of Singapore Halimah Yacob has said they are impressed by the ongoing development and progress made by Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The President of Singapore and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen had a meeting at the Istana on Tuesday and discussed issues of mutual interest.
Dr Momen is now on an official visit to Singapore, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"We had a good discussion on bilateral cooperation including the opportunities for enhancing trade and investment between our countries," President Yacob said in a post shared on her verified Facebook page.
She said they also discussed regional and global developments.
The President of Singapore highly praised the Government of Bangladesh for providing shelter to more than one million displaced Rohingyas.
READ: Bangladesh, Singapore keen to intensify bilateral cooperation
Momen stressed the need for continued international pressure on the Myanmar government to repatriate the displaced Rohingya to their homeland Myanmar and sought cooperation of the Singapore government, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also requested the Government of Singapore to consider the proposal for Bangladesh's inclusion as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner at the ASEAN.
President Halimah Yacob assured the Foreign Minister of all possible cooperation from the Government of Singapore in both cases.
The President of Singapore hoped that the cooperation and communication between the two friendly countries would be further strengthened on the golden jubilee of Bangladesh-Singapore diplomatic relations.
Finalization and signing of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, expanding Bangladesh's labor market in Singapore, protection of expatriate workers, training opportunities in various sectors including agriculture, industry, education, medicine, energy and ICT were discussed.
Momen greeted the President of Singapore on behalf of the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh and invited her to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
"I wish Dr Momen a pleasant stay in Singapore and a safe trip back home," said the President.
Dhaka, Seoul working closely to make more success stories: Envoy
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea has released a video documentary on the history of Bangladesh-Korea relations during the past five decades focusing on the RMG cooperation and eying more success stories in potential sectors.
In the documentary, South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jung-keun said the two countries are now working closely together to make other success stories in other sectors in the coming years in the field of manufacturing, ICT, and infrastructure, etc, based on the success stories of cooperation in the RMG sector.
He mentioned that among all the partnership RMG cooperation has been the symbol and model of successful bilateral ties between Korea and Bangladesh for the past five decades.
The Embassy prepared this “very special” documentary as part of its preparation for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
Also read:S Korea, BGMEA for seizing opportunities through better trade, investment cooperation
The role of South Korean companies in the beginning and growing phases of Bangladesh’s RMG industry, which became the world’s second largest RMG exporter, has been well known to many Bangladeshis. It has been the finest success story of the business collaboration as well as the close friendly bilateral ties between the two countries, said the Embassy on Tuesday.
However, the stories and memories of RMG cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh have been fading away over the years, it said.
Through the oral stories shared by the key figures who have been involved in the history of the cooperation, the documentary vividly revealed the true friendship between Korea and Bangladesh during the past five decades.
The RMG cooperation between Korea and Bangladesh started in 1978 when a joint venture was established a Korean company, Daewoo Corporation, and Desh Garment of Bangladesh.
Some 133 Bangladeshis recruited by Desh Garment went to Korea in 1979 and trained by the Daewoo Corporation for six months.
These people, upon returning to Bangladesh, played a key role in the birth of Bangladesh’s RMG industry by spawning the factories across the country.
In the interview, Rokeya Quader, the Chairman of Desh Group Ltd. and widow of the late Noorul Qader, founder of the Desh Garment shared a detailed story of the start of the joint venture.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, who was a pioneer of Bangladesh’s RMG industry and the former President of the BGMEA, also elaborated his own experience in the Korea-Bangladesh RMG cooperation.
Kihak Sung, the Chairman of Youngone Corporation, the first foreign investor in Bangladeshi’s RMG industry and the largest Korean investment company in Bangladesh also shared the story of his business in Bangladesh, including the establishment of the KEPZ, Korean Export Processing Zone, in Chattogram.
At present, Korea is the 5th largest foreign direct investor in Bangladesh in terms of the volume of the accumulated stock investment and RMG sector accounts for more than 70 percent of Korea’s investment in Bangladesh which reached over 1.3 billion dollars in 2021, according to Korean Embassy.
Historical Stories
The documentary also introduced several significant historical stories on the beginning of the diplomatic relations between Korea and Bangladesh, in particular the role of Ban Ki-Moon, 8th United Nations Secretary-General in the early days of the relations.
When the Republic of Korea officially recognized Bangladesh as an independent country on May 12, 1972, the recommendation of the recognition was drafted by Ban Ki Moon who was a desk diplomat in charge of Korea-Bangladesh relations on that time.
In December 1973, when Korea established formal diplomatic relation with Bangladesh, Ban, who was Second Secretary at the Korean Consulate General in New Delhi, visited Dhaka with Ambassador Loh Shin-young, who later became Prime Minister as well as Foreign Minister of Korea and met Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman.
Also read: S Korea to create decent employment for girls in Bangladesh
The trade volume between the two countries reached a historic height in 2021 crossing 2.1 billion dollars after almost 10 years of stagnation, said the Embassy.
Both countries are now enjoying very close relationship and strong ties which is very promising sign to make continuous effort to further expand the bilateral trade and to diversify the relationship.
The documentary was first broadcasted in full via Ekattor Television on April 14th. The full video clip can be found at the Embassy’s Facebook and YouTube page.
Chicago Tribune: Leadership attributed to rise of Bangladesh
A columnist writing in US-based 'Chicago Tribune' has said Bangladesh's phenomenal success in economic growth and human development has been possible because of its stable democracy and strong women leadership.
“Having a stable democracy, as well as strong women in the leadership positions, has helped Bangladesh,” reads the article titled "How Bangladesh’s success has proved Henry Kissinger wrong.”
The single biggest reason for Bangladesh pulling ahead of India and Pakistan in per capita income and growth rate can be directly attributed to its investment in women’s education and high percentage of women’s participation in the labor force," writes columnist Faisal Rahman, a professor and founding dean of The Graham School of Management at Saint Xavier University in Chicago.
Read: Global finance meeting focuses on war-driven food insecurity
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has proved to be a strong administrative leader in the mold of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew,” reads the article.
Unlike most other countries, Bangladesh has managed COVID-19 extremely well, Rahman writes. “It is on its way to becoming a prosperous middle-income country proving that Kissinger was wrong in his assumption about its economic viability and sustainability. In fact, Bangladesh is moving toward becoming the next Asian economic “tiger.”
Bangladesh which celebrated the 51st anniversary of its independence from Pakistan on March 26, was dismissed as a “bottomless basket”” or an endless charity case, by future Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and the United States had supported the military dictators who had jailed elected representatives and started a war of terror to intimidate the population into silence and submission, Rahman writes.
This is a perfect case of the contradiction between what the U.S. publicly stands for and its government behaving exactly in the opposite manner, he mentioned.
When Bangladesh was born, it was in a terrible state. It was already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the poorest by every economic indicator. Because of the war, economic infrastructure was in absolute ruins. It had no industrial base and no entrepreneurial class. Almost two-thirds of the country routinely went underwater during monsoon season.
To make things worse, Rahman writes, the retreating Pakistan army gathered all the top intellectuals of the country two to three days before surrender and killed them.
“The only thing they could not destroy was the spirit of Bangladeshis, like what is being exhibited today by the valiant Ukrainian people. Bangladeshis, albeit with the assistance of India, not only defeated the Pakistan army but also subsequently foiled repeated attempts to destroy its nascent democracy.”
Read: Ecnec clears Tk 250-cr project to enhance women’s IT skills, create jobs
He mentioned that today’s Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of garments, not a small feat for a country that did not export a single garment at the time of its birth.
“With backward linkage, it is now one of the largest buyers of U.S. cotton and has a new diversified economy with a strong information technology service sector and a respected pharmaceutical industry and has become a preferred center for investment by economic giants such as China and South Korea.”
With U.S. and European countries experiencing vulnerability because of COVID-19 and fractured political relationships, the top two destinations of choice for multinational companies’ outsourcing are Vietnam and Bangladesh, writes the columnist.
Bangladesh’s contribution to the world economy is more than selling garments. Its laborers can now be found working in almost any country that will have them.
Among the immigrant labor, Bangladeshi workers are known for their industriousness, work ethic and ability to have a good relationship with people. These workers are the biggest contributors (other than the garment industry) of foreign exchange earnings, according to the article.
Besides goods and labor, Bangladesh is on the path of growth with its homegrown ideas. Its “investment in the poor” model of microcredit, pioneered by Muhammad Yunus and Fazle Hasan Abed, is now the proven path for millions escaping poverty in 100-plus countries, Rahman writes.
Bangladesh has also shown how nongovernmental organizations can complement government efforts to accelerate development, he mentioned.
There are other areas where Bangladesh stands out among less developed countries, Rahman writes. Currently, Bangladesh is the largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions in troubled parts of the world.
Bangladesh has been sheltering 1.1 million Rohingya who have been forced out of Myanmar by the military government.
The Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group, have lived in Myanmar for generations and are another minority community that has become stateless and the victim of ethnic cleansing, reads the article.
PM's adviser says HR report won't hurt Dhaka-Washington ties; US envoy concurs
The US human rights report on Bangladesh will not affect the Dhaka-Washington relations, said Salman F Rahman, prime minister's private industry and investment adviser.
"The annual human rights reports that the US prepares on other countries are based on locals' opinion; Bangladesh is not an exception. So, not all reports are accurate. Also, they are not being investigated," he told the media after US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas paid a courtesy call on him in the capital Monday.
Salman also said a delegation of 22 US companies will visit Bangladesh in May to discuss ways to boost investment in potential areas, including the energy sector.
About the long-standing demand of Bangladeshi businessmen for a Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility on cotton import from the US, Salman said: "The relevant US law needs to be amended to restore the GSP facilities which were discontinued in 2013. The US envoy told me that this is not an easy task."
READ: Embassy in Washington observes historic Mujibnagar Day
Peter Haas said: "We discussed bilateral economic cooperation. I told Mr Rahman that the economy can be an area of mutual development for us."
About the human rights report, the envoy said, "We prepare the human rights reports based on specific information. However, it will not hurt the Bangladesh-US ties."
The report ''Bangladesh 2021 Human Rights Report,'' was released on April 13, 2022, by the Bureau of Human Rights, Democracy and Labour of the US Department of State.
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 recognised human rights and worker rights.
However, they do not draw legal conclusions, rate countries, or declare whether they failed to meet standards.
Bangladesh, Singapore keen to intensify bilateral cooperation
Bangladesh has sought support from Singapore to keep up pressure on Myanmar in an effort to resolve the Rohingya crisis through their sustainable repatriation.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char island and it says repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State is the only solution.
Bangladesh and Singapore also laid emphasis on signing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as soon as possible by concluding the ongoing negotiations in an effort to expand trade and investment.
The issues came up for discussion during a meeting between Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan held in Singapore on Monday.
During the meeting, Singapore’s support was sought to accelerate Bangladesh's inclusion to the ASEAN Forum as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner.
In this regard, the foreign minister of Singapore expressed his government's unwavering support in both the issues, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.
Foreign Minister Momen is now in Singapore as part of his three-day official visit at the invitation of the Singapore government.
READ: Singapore upbeat about Bangladesh’s economic potential
He expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Singapore over the recent decision to launch a special award in the name of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by the National University of Singapore.
They discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including providing technical assistance, increasing Bangladesh's exports of agricultural products to Singapore, continuing to co-operate in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by tackling the effects of climate change, creating new jobs for Bangladeshi workers in Singapore, and ensuring minimum wages.
The two foreign ministers reiterated their commitment to further intensify and accelerate bilateral cooperation on the golden jubilee of Bangladesh-Singapore diplomatic relations.
During the hour-long meeting, they discussed important bilateral, regional and global issues.
.The meeting was also attended by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Singapore Md Tauhedul Islam and Director General of the Ministry of External Affairs (Southeast Asia) Md. Najmul Huda.
This was the first ministerial meeting between the two friendly countries since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.
Foreign Minister Momen invited his Singaporean counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time this year.
S Korea, BGMEA for seizing opportunities through better trade, investment cooperation
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has called for intensifying cooperation and collaboration between Dhaka and Seoul to realise the full potential of bilateral trade.
Many opportunities lie ahead for Bangladesh and South Korea that could be seized through better cooperation in trade and investment, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said while exchanging views with South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun in the capital Sunday.
Faruque recalled South Korea's contribution to Bangladesh's apparel industry, especially in the early stage of its development.
He also thanked the east Asian nation for allowing duty-free access to Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) products in its market.
The BGMEA president requested Ambassador Lee to encourage Korean businessmen to invest in the backward linkage industry of Bangladesh – namely, in non-cotton textile.
READ: Shringla, BGMEA chief discuss ways to boost bilateral trade
Lee and Faruque expressed willingness to work together to deepen and strengthen the bilateral business ties based on the successful collaboration in the RMG sector.
They agreed on increasing interchanges between the embassy and the BGMEA – especially in jointly commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year.
Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on Scheduled Bank Md Israfil Atique and Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on Trade Fair Mohammed Kamal Uddin were also present.
Foreign ministry to honour 1971 diplomat defectors to Bangladesh: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said his ministry will honour the diplomats who had defected and declared their loyalty to Bangladesh during the War of Liberation in 1971.
“Their names will be written in golden letters at the foreign office,” Momen said at a function marking the Foreign Service Day at the Foreign Service Academy.
“We’ll honour them marking the 50 years of our great independence," he said while addressing the event virtually from Singapore.
He sought joint efforts to help achieve the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and build ‘Sonar Bangla’ and a prosperous and stable economy by 2041.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam spoke as special guest at the commemorative event while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered welcome remarks.
Former foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali MP, former diplomats Mohiuddin Ahmed, Waliur Rahman and Bangladesh envoys abroad joined the event virtually.
READ: Keep up efforts to procure Covid vaccines: Standing committee on Foreign Ministry
Highlighting the progress that Bangladesh made under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the last one decade, Momen said people from across the country are joining hands under her prudent leadership and working to build Sonar Bangla.
Bangladesh strongly condemns Israeli attack at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound
Bangladesh strongly condemned the violence unleashed against innocent worshippers and civilians at the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in occupied East Jerusalem by occupying Israeli forces in the early morning of April 15.
Bangladesh expresses deep concern over the violations of basic civil norms, international human rights laws and international accords by the Israeli forces which has invoked sympathy of millions of oppressed people around the world, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Monday.
"Bangladesh believes that the freedom of religion is a fundamental human right which must be upheld and the right of practicing religious rituals particularly in the holy month of Ramadan must be ensured," reads the statement.
Also read: US to stand by persecuted minorities worldwide: Ambassador-at-Large
Bangladesh urged the international community to take sustained measures to end such kind of attack, cease detaining and hindering the medical treatment to the wounded civilians and to end the heinous actions in the occupied territories.
Bangladesh firmly supports the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine for a sovereign and independent homeland and reaffirms its position in favor of establishing an independent state of Palestine on the basis of two-state solution, MoFA said.
Also read: Rab is a brand name for peace, don’t malign it: Shahriar
Bangladesh also reiterated its position that a lasting solution to the Palestine issue would be possible only with the engagement of both sides in cordial dialogue and called upon all parties to work towards this end.