foreign-affairs
ASEAN: Dhaka seeks Jakarta's proactive role for Rohingya repatriation
Bangladesh has requested Indonesia to remain proactive in ASEAN platform to convince Myanmar for creating a conducive environment for a safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen made the request when outgoing Ambassador of Indonesia to Bangladesh Rina Prihtyasmiarsi Soemarno met him on Tuesday.
Dr Momen suggested that an ASEAN-led observer team may be deployed in the Rakhine State to oversee the repatriation process.
Read: ‘Will remain alert’, says FM about Afghan-trained terrorists
He also said since there was no major violence in the Rakhine State in the last four years, repatriation can start under the supervision of a neutral international body.
The ambassador assured to remain engaged on the issue and continue Indonesia’s support for a durable solution to the crisis.
The Foreign Minister thanked Indonesia for the humanitarian support extended to the Rohingyas and sought political support from it on the repatriation issue.
Terming Indonesia as an important partner of Bangladesh in the South East Asian region, the Foreign Minister suggested that the multi-faceted relations could be expanded if more people to people contacts take place and barriers in trade and investment are removed.
He sought Indonesia’s support towards Bangladesh’s bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the ASEAN.
Dr Momen said as a natural bridge between South and South East Asia, Bangladesh is a genuine candidate to become a Dialogue Partner of the ASEAN.
Read:Rohingya children must be educated in their own language: FM
‘Will remain alert,' says FM about Afghan-trained terrorists
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said Bangladesh will remain alert about any Afghan-trained terrorist though they were "identified and uprooted”.
"We'll surely remain alert. We don't want it again," he told reporters and reiterated that there is no scope for Bangladesh to give temporary shelter to people from Afghanistan as requested by the US.
Asked what will be Bangladesh’s position if other Saarc countries give shelter to Afghan people, Dr Momen said they need to see the situation on the ground first before making a comment.
Read:Bangladesh to welcome new Afghan govt if it’s of people: FM
On Monday night, the Foreign Minister told UNB that Bangladesh has turned down a request from the United States to give temporary shelter to some people from Afghanistan saying Bangladesh is already in a big problem by giving shelter to over 1.1 million Rohingyas.
The request came from diplomatic channels both from Washington and in Dhaka.
The Foreign Minister said getting the request means that the US has a confidence on Bangladesh and that is the positive sign but Bangladesh is unable to accept it.
Dr Momen said the US is a friendly country to Bangladesh and conveyed to them that Bangladesh is already facing many problems by giving shelter to the Rohingyas.
“Don’t put us into further trouble,” he said, mentioning what Bangladesh conveyed to the US side after receiving the request.
The US side first reached out to the Bangladesh Ambassador in Washington with the request which was later conveyed to Dhaka.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh wanted to know the name of the countries that the US requested for giving people from Afghanistan a temporary shelter and how many in numbers. “No specific reply was found.”
He said the Rohingyas came to Bangladesh almost four years ago but no Rohingya was repatriated. "There is no violence in Rakhine for last few years. They should go back."
Read:Pakistan, U.S. speak on Afghanistan's future
Dr Momen said Bangladesh wants development of all countries in Saarc including development of Afghanistan.
Remembering Bangabandhu from Brussels
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was remembered for his courage and leadership by international scholars at a virtual event.
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Belgium capital Brussels and the Mission to the European Union organised the virtual event marking National Mourning Day and the 46th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu on Sunday.
A documentary, 'Bangabandhu Forever in Our Hearts', was also screened, detailing the life and achievements of Bangabandhu.
Read:Bangabandhu, his family had been targets of 7 plots well before independence: Gowher Rizvi
Dr Richard Cash, global health researcher and senior lecturer in international health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recalled his experiences of living and working in Bangladesh in the 1960s.
Bangladesh wants lasting peace in Afghanistan: Shahriar
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has said Bangladesh wants to see lasting peace in Afghanistan that has gone through many ups and downs, noting that the current situation has an impact on South Asian politics.
He said Bangladesh expects that there will be no black chapter in like past but people’s rights will be established.
The State Minister said Bangladesh will decide the nature of its relations with Afghanistan observing the situation closely and considering how things move ahead.
“We’re ready to help Afghanistan when we feel that there’s a stable government in place with people’s mandate,” he told reporters on Monday.
The State Minister said things are still premature as the situation is evolving and Bangladesh cannot welcome it until there is a permanent government. “We’ll extend our helping hand timely.”
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Shahriar said the Prime Minister repeatedly talked about regional peace and prosperity.
He said South Asia’s potential and opportunity remained unexplored for a long time and Bangladesh wants to see that peace is restored in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said Bangladesh is carefully observing the fast evolving situation in Afghanistan, which, Bangladesh believes, may have an impact on the region and beyond.
READ: Time to allow young generation dream big: Shahriar
"We urge all stakeholders in Afghanistan to maintain peace and calm ensuring safety and security of all including foreign nationals," said the Ministry in a statement.
Bangladesh said it would be happy to continue to work with the people of Afghanistan and the international community for the socio-economic development of the country.
Bangladesh and Afghanistan share historical and cultural linkages. It is a fellow member of SAARC and an integral part of South Asia.
Bangladesh recalled the invaluable support extended by the government and the people of Afghanistan to Bangladesh during the War of Liberation.
"Bangladesh is committed to working with Afghanistan for fulfilling the visionary policy of the Prime Minister that the region must grow and prosper together for this development to be sustainable," the statement reads.
Bangladesh believes that a democratic and pluralistic Afghanistan as chosen by its people is the only guarantee of stability and development in the country.
In this regard, Bangladesh considers itself a potential development partner and a friend of Afghanistan.
"We stand ready to share our best practices with Afghanistan in a range of areas, such as basic education, community healthcare, sanitation, human resources development, agriculture, climate change adaptation, disaster management and ICT enabled public service delivery," said the Ministry.
Bangladesh firmly believes that it is upon the people of Afghanistan to rebuild their country and decide the course of the future themselves.
READ: Big-B Initiative to bring more investment to Bangladesh: Shahriar
Bangladesh wishes to see Afghanistan as a peaceful, stable, prosperous, responsible and contributing member of the South Asian region and the global community.
Dhaka turns down Washington’s request to temporarily shelter people from Afghanistan
Bangladesh has rejected a request from the United States to give temporary shelter to some people from Afghanistan, saying Bangladesh is already in a big problem by giving shelter to over 1.1 million Rohingyas.
“Yes, we’ve received a request from the US. We thanked them but rejected the request,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB over phone.
Asked from which level the request came from the US, the Foreign Minister said it came from diplomatic channels both from Washington and in Dhaka.
Also read: Bangladesh to welcome new Afghan govt if it’s of people: FM
Dr Momen said the US is a friendly country to Bangladesh and conveyed the message to them that Bangladesh is already facing many problems by giving shelter to the Rohingyas.
“Don’t put us into further trouble,” he said, mentioning what Bangladesh conveyed to the US side after receiving the request.
Russia keen to enhance cooperation in energy sector
Russia is keen to enhance its cooperation in Bangladesh's energy sector, the country’s envoy said.
Russian ambassador Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskiy expressed the interest of his country while calling on State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at his office in the ministry.
Emphasizing on the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) he said both the countries will be benefited if any contract is signed in expedited manner between the two nations on the basis of mutual consent.
READ: Grant financing deal of EUR 12mn signed to support power, energy sector
He said that Russia can contribute to Bangladesh's energy security and deep-sea exploration activities.
Mentioning Russia as Bangladesh’s tested friend, Nasrul Hamid said Russia can extend its cooperation in providing training to Bangladeshi engineers.
“We can also utilise the Russian experience in our oil and gas exploration”, he added.
The state minister said the Bangladesh energy sector has been growing steadily and a safe investment environment has been created.
READ: Budget Power and energy sector allocation to increase by Tk 726 crore
Investments from Russian public and private companies will be welcomed in Bangladesh, said Nasrul Hamid.
Doraiswami recalls Bangabandhu’s close association with eminent Indian personalities
Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, High Commission of India, Dhaka has paid a solemn tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the centenary year of his birth in the form of a book-reading session.
Participants jointly read portions from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s "The Unfinished Memoirs" and then discussed the selected passages.
The session began with opening remarks of the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami in which he recalled the close association of Bangabandhu with eminent Indian personalities over decades.
READ: New Delhi mission pays homage to Bangabandhu
His speech was followed by six readings from The Unfinished Memoirs, said the High Commission on Monday.
The readings were punctuated by discussion in which the passage read were discussed briefly for their significance and appeal.
The remarkable and compelling story of Bangabandhu was movingly reflected in the excerpts selected from his Unfinished Memoirs.
Participants along with Indian High Commissioner hailed Bangabandhu’s work for its literary quality as well as its enormous relevance to modern history, politics and the story of Bangladesh.
READ: BGMEA pays homage to Bangabandhu on National Mourning Day
Participants included eminent writers and personalities from India as well as Bangladesh such as Dr. Fakrul Alam , UGC professor, Department of English, University of Dhaka and the English language translator of The Unfinished Memoirs; Dr. Rajgopal Dhar Chakraborty, Head and Professor , Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, Calcutta University, Mr. Syed Badrul Ahsan, free lancer journalist and former distinguished editor of The Asian Age and author of Seikh Mujibur Rahman, Dr. Subhayu Chattopadhay- faculty member of Visva Bharati University’s Department of History, Niaz Zaman- retired as Professor of English, University of Dhaka and Adviser at the Department of English of Independent University Bangladesh and Sadaf Saaz- poet, entrepreneur and one of the co- founders of the Dhaka Lit Fest.
Bangladesh to welcome new Afghan govt if it’s of people: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday said Bangladesh will welcome the new government in Afghanistan if it is supported by its people.
“We believe in people’s government. We believe in a government which is liked by its people. We believe in democratic government,” he told reporters, adding that Bangladesh’s door will surely remain open if the Taliban government becomes a government supported by its people.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh believes in friendship to all countries, and Bangladesh will extend support if any government seeks support from Bangladesh.
Also read: Bangladesh observing fast evolving situation in Afghanistan: MoFA
He said Afghanistan is a friendly country to Bangladesh and is a member State of Saarc. “Bangladesh wants their (Afghanistan) development.”
Responding to a question, Dr Momen said there were some terrorists in Bangladesh who were trained in Afghanistan. “We’ve uprooted them and there’s no scope to see their reemergence here.”
China doesn’t attach any political strings to vaccine cooperation: Envoy
China has stressed that it does not attach any political strings or economic calculations to carrying out vaccine cooperation with Bangladesh and other countries.
“The only purpose of China is to make vaccines a global public good that truly serves people’s interests and help the world defeat the pandemic at an early date. To this end, China will take further actions,” said Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming on Monday.
While speaking at a signing ceremony of the local production of Sinopharm vaccines in Bangladesh, he said at least three deficits -- distribution deficit, production deficit and cooperation deficit -- need to be addressed.
The Ambassador thanked Bangladesh for respecting science, multilateralism and justice, and said he is sure that their anti-pandemic cooperation will only become stronger and more fruitful, leading to further contribution to the global fight against Covid-19.
Much-sought MoU signed for Sinopharm vaccine coproduction in Bangladesh
Bangladesh, China and Incepta Pharmaceutical Ltd on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on coproduction of Sinopharm vaccine in Bangladesh.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque and Abdul Muktadir, Chairman, Incepta Vaccine Limited signed the MoU from Dhaka while Li Can, President, China Sinopharm International Corporation and Zhu Jingjin, Vice President, China National Biotec Group Company Limited signed it from Beijing.
Incepta, a leading pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh, will bring in bulk and bottling, labeling and finishing of the vaccine will be done locally making the price relatively very cheap.
Read: Dhaka to receive 10 lakh Sinopharm vaccine doses shortly
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming witnessed the signing of the MoU among relevant parties.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Health Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah, among others, spoke.