Bangladesh has strongly condemned the recent act of desecrating the Holy Quran by a far-right activist in The Hague, Netherlands. Bangladesh has expressed grave concern over the incident and rejects any act of insulting the sacred values and religious symbols of the Muslims — for that matter of all religions — all over the world under any circumstances, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more: Bangladesh condemns desecration of the Holy Quran by far-right activist in The Hague Bangladesh urged all concerned to put an end to such unwarranted provocations and Islamophobia for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.

International community and States Parties of Rome Statute need to stand resolutely with Bangladesh in securing sustainable return of the Rohingya people to their homeland, Myanmar, speakers told a discussion in the city. They underlined it at an event during the 21st (annual) Assembly of the States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on Friday. The event titled ‘Justice for the Rohingyas and No Peace without Justice’ was co-hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy to the Netherlands, the Government of Gambia.  Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands, M Riaz Hamidullah, Deputy Prosecutor of ICC, Nazhat Shameem Khan, President of Burma Rohingya Organisation UK, Tun Khin, former member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Amb. Laetitia Van Den Assum, and Gambian Solicitor General, Hussein Thomasi, spoke at the event. Read more: ‘US glad over beginning resettlement programme for Rohingya refugees’ Ambassador Hamidullah said that in securing a lasting solution within the new federal structure of Myanmar, issues relating to the Rohingya people as also other ethnic minorities in Myanmar merit attention in inclusive and transparent ways.  As the regional grouping, civil society actors, think-tank, academia within ASEAN region need to look at situation in Myanmar to ensure the region's collective stability and prosperity. Aside from humanitarian assistance, political solutions should be equally in focus, he added.  The Rohingya leader Thun Khin appreciated Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya and in their fight for justice for the Rohingya.  He shared the significance of universal jurisdiction and an investigation in an Argentine Court a key step in securing justice for the Rohingyas. He also urged more countries to consider such cases. Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan shared the progress on investigation on the ICC Case inquiring war crimes against Rohingyas.  The Gambian Solicitor General said that The Gambia itself had been a victim of two decades of authoritarian rule and thus valued the Rohingya issue in initiating the procedure at the ICJ as a member of the Genocide Convention. Read more: US working to increase resettlement of Rohingyas from Bangladesh: Blinken  Ambassador Laetitia Assum said that the ground situation in Myanmar continues to escalate since the military coup two years ago.  She viewed that as most ASEAN countries do not share a border with Myanmar, they do not sufficiently understand the burden on the neighboring countries. 

The Bangladesh-Netherlands Agri-Business conference was held at the Hague to enhance the agro-food processing system and technological cooperation with both countries. The conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture (BD), Bangladesh Embassy in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, and Wageningen University and Research. Also read: Agri-Business Conclave to bridge Dutch innovation, tech for dev of Bangladesh agro, food industry The conference discussed innovation and cooperation in the fields of agricultural food processing, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and poultry. Emphasis is being placed on how Dutch knowledge, experience, technology, and innovation can be utilized in these sectors in Bangladesh. Agriculture Secretary Md. Saidul Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh to The Hague M Riaz Hamidullah, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture of Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands Guido Landhir, Executive Director of the Netherlands Food Partnership Myrtle Dance, Dutch Top-sector Agro-Foods Director Willen, Digital Innovation Partner Jan Carroll Mac, among others, spoke in the conference. Also read: Agriculture sector may follow Spain's Almeria model: Tipu Munshi