United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh and Kuwait on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening diplomatic, trade and economic ties, with a focus on investment, energy, food security and migrant welfare. Newly appointed Ambassador of Kuwait to Bangladesh Ali Tunyan Abdul Wahab Hamadah met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna and discussed ways to strengthen the ties. Welcoming the Ambassador, the Chief Adviser reaffirmed the strong historical ties between Bangladesh and Kuwait and encouraged greater collaboration in key sectors. “Kuwait and Bangladesh are long-standing friends. There are many investment opportunities here, and halal food can be a great sector to explore. The global market for halal food is huge. I encourage you to include young people in this initiative,” Prof Yunus said. The Chief Adviser invited Kuwaiti investors to explore opportunities in Bangladesh’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the upcoming Bangladesh Investment Summit in Dhaka on 7-9 April. “Bring investors from Kuwait during the summit. It will be a big opportunity for both countries,” he said. India seeks friendly ties with Bangladesh: Rajnath Singh Ambassador Hamadah conveyed full support for Bangladesh’s Interim Government on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the people of Kuwait. "We are looking forward to working together," he said. Both sides discussed expanding crude oil imports from Kuwait to support Bangladesh’s growing energy demands. The Chief Adviser invited Kuwait to invest in a joint venture crude oil refinery in Bangladesh and urged the oil-rich Gulf nation to explore cooperation in renewable energy projects. The Chief Adviser stressed the importance of ensuring better working conditions for Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, particularly female workers. He also acknowledged the strong defence collaboration between the two countries and praised the professionalism of Bangladeshi military personnel serving in Kuwait. They also reaffirmed their dedication to deepening economic and diplomatic ties.  “Our partnership is built on mutual respect and cooperation. We are committed to expanding collaboration in trade, energy, and beyond,” the Chief Adviser said.

India has laid emphasis on resolving all issues in Bangladesh through democratic means and by holding “inclusive and participatory” elections. At a media briefing in New Delhi on Friday, official spokesperson at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said they support a “stable, peaceful, inclusive and progressive” Bangladesh in which all issues are resolved through democratic means and by holding “inclusive and participatory” elections. He expressed concerns over "deteriorating law and order situation" in Bangladesh which has been further exacerbated by the release of violent extremists who were sentenced for serious crimes. Toby Cadman asks Bangladesh to refer July massacres case to ICC, change ICT’s name Officials of Bangladesh and India held the 86th meeting of the Joint River Commission in Kolkata where they discussed the pros and cons of renewing the 30-year-old Ganges water-sharing treaty which comes up for renewal next year. Spokesperson Jaiswal said the two sides discussed technical issues pertaining to the Ganga Water Treaty, measurement of water flows and other issues of mutual interest. On violence against minorities, including Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesperson said they expect Bangladesh to thoroughly investigate and bring all perpetrators of killings, arson and violence to justice without making such distinctions.

France has welcomed the launching of new think tank -  Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS), describing this initiative as a very encouraging step. "France has always been advocating for our partner, Bangladesh, to pursue strategic autonomy. This is a very encouraging first step towards achieving it," said the Embassy of France on Monday. Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy participated in the launching event of the Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS), a unique initiative, on Sunday evening. The new think tank was launched to unify national stakeholders for fostering cooperation, security, and sustainable growth with "Bangladesh First" as its mantra. "Our main areas of focus pertain to national security issues, collaboration between civil and military sectors, and maintaining a balanced foreign policy that aligns with geopolitical realities," said FSDS Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar in his inaugural speech. Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that without a strong defence, the country cannot implement its foreign policy. "We need to develop our defence. But there's no emphasis on where we need to put emphasis. There's no guideline for it. Whether what we need at this moment to protect our sea line of communication or defend the territorial integrity or whatever it is, there is no focus," said the Army Chief. The launch was attended also by Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan. Dr Yunus invited to visit Algeria; its Energy Minister due in Dhaka next month BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Vice-Chairman Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, and Jamaat-e-Islami's Nayeeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher were also present at the event. The event was also attended by former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq,  Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, Daily Desh Rupantor Editor Kamal Uddin Sabuj, and Ekushey Television (ETV) Chairman Abdus Salam, among others.

Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong has assured of all cooperation for economic prosperity of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Ambassador Md Nazmul Islam and the Chinese Vice Minister reiterated their countries’ commitment in a meeting held at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. In the year of people-to-people exchanges, he said, more visits and projects should be undertaken in tourism, education academia and think tanks and local government sectors.  Bangladesh and China will work closer than ever to forge the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership so that the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations is visibly marked with the people-to-people exchanges in various areas of cooperation. In the maiden courtesy call on the Vice Minister Weidong by Ambassador Islam, discussion on strengthening existing cooperation and encompassing newer areas of cooperation has been made at length. Both sides reiterated their position of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence.  They agreed that high level visits and exchanges infused renewed impetus into the bilateral mechanisms, according to the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing. Dhaka, Delhi eye "good working relations" addressing problems Ambassador Islam invited the Chinese investors and business people to explore the opportunities offered by Bangladesh uniquely in return on investments and encouraged them to take part in the upcoming Bangladesh Investment Summit scheduled on April 7-10 in Dhaka. Both reaffirmed their willingness to work together in the multilateral fora, particularly in the UN system so that the benefit of multilateralism be accrued by all, especially the developing countries. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and China, both the countries will undertake joint programmes such as, release of logo, recognition of personalities who contributed to strengthening the ties between the two countries in the last 50 years, opening up medical tourism etc. As initiated by the Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and jointly implemented by both Bangladesh and China, three tertiary level hospitals have been identified for the treatment of the Bangladeshi patients in Kunming and one more hospital for cancer treatment is in the process of inclusion.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Thursday said both Dhaka and New Delhi agreed to have "good working relations" by removing the remaining problems. "We - both sides - agreed that we need to reach a good working relationship," Hossain told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referring to his recent meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in Muscat, Oman. He said businesses have already picked up and apparently reaching to previous level but there are still some issues like visa related problems. Hossain said Jaishankar was looking positive. Responding to a question, the Adviser said they did not specify any challenges but acknowledged that there are some challenges that need to be removed to take forward the relations. Hossain-Jaishankar talks recognise challenges, highlight importance of working together Hossain said he invited Jaishankar to Bangladesh, mentioning that there is a mechanism at Foreign Minister-level and the previous such meeting was held in New Delhi during the previous regime. He said Bangladesh will make arrangements for Jaishankar's visit once a convenient date is found. Asked about deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition, Hossain said there was no specific discussion on this but they discussed issues in general. He said that it is an independent issue and Bangladesh requested her extradition following the court order. Asked about pausing US funding, the Adviser said it is not a Bangladesh specific issue and Bangladesh has nothing to do at this moment but needs to find ways to survive. On the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC), Adviser Hossain met his Indian counterpart Jaishankar in Muscat, Oman on Sunday. At the meeting, they recognised the challenges the two neighbours are facing in terms of bilateral relations and discussed the necessity to work together to address those. Meanwhile, both sides at the level of Directors General of BGB and BSF held a meeting in New Delhi on February 18-20. Various border-related issues were discussed and resolved during the meeting, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Conversations focused on our bilateral relationship, as also on Bimstec," Jaishankar said after the meeting in Muscat. Dhaka committed to boosting Indian Ocean partnership: Foreign Adviser Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to attend the Bimstec Summit to be held in Bangkok on April 4. Foreign Adviser Hossain emphasised the importance of initiating the discussion for renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty. He also highlighted the importance of holding the meeting of the Saarc Standing Committee and requested consideration of the government of India in this regard. The two sides discussed various bilateral issues of mutual concerns and interests. Recalling their last meeting on the sidelines of UNGA in September 2024, both noted that since then the two countries have participated in various bilateral engagements. The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and India at the level of Foreign Secretaries was held in Dhaka on December 9, 2024. The Energy Adviser of Bangladesh participated at the India Energy Week events in New Delhi on February 10-11, among others.