The government has appointed Rear Admiral S M Abul Kalam Azad as the new High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Republic of Maldives. Rear Admiral Azad was commissioned in the Bangladesh Navy on July 1, 1987, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. In his long and distinguished career, he has served in various staff, instructional and command appointments at different levels. Read:Bangladesh calls for addressing root causes of climate-induced displacement He received the prestigious "Nou Gaurab Padak" for his professional excellence and exceptional service in the Bangladesh Navy. Before joining the Foreign Ministry, he was serving as the Commander of Bangladesh Navy Fleet. Rear Admiral Azad is married to Naomee Nahreen and blessed with a son and a daughter.

The government has appointed F. M. Borhan Uddin, currently serving as the Director General of West Asia Wing and Coordinator of Corona Cell at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the next Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Republic of the Philippines. Borhan Uddin is a career foreign service officer belonging to 15th batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. He served in various capacities in Bangladesh Missions in Cairo, Dubai, Seoul and Colombo in his distinguished diplomatic career. He also served as the Consul General at Bangladesh Consulates General in Istanbul and Jeddah. At the headquarters, he worked for multiple Wings in different capacities. Borhan Uddin did his graduation and post-graduation in Sociology from the University of Dhaka. Later he obtained another degree in Law (LLB Hons.) from the University of London.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has sought the support of the Bangladesh High Commission in London regarding non-payment by some of the British brands to their Bangladeshi suppliers during the Covid-19 crisis. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem met BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at the latter’s office and discussed trade related issues. Read:BGMEA seeks 10-yr extension of GSP in Swiss market BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali was also present at the meeting. They discussed various trade issues including export opportunities for Bangladesh in the UK market and generating ways to attract more foreign direct investment from the country. Read: BGMEA chief underlines importance of enhanced productivity The discussions also encompassed issues regarding graduation of Bangladesh from LDC, possible changes in the tariff regime and how Bangladesh could retain its market access in the post-LDC status in the UK.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Golam Sarwar on Thursday said the High Commission is optimistic that "Chakrir Khoj" job portal will complement the initiatives of the Malaysian government for making the ongoing recalibration programme a success. This initiative is to help the recalibration programme declared by the Malaysian government without prejudice to ongoing negotiations for the recruitment of new workers from Bangladesh, said the High Commissioner. The job portal was launched by the High Commission only to facilitate the ongoing legalisation process, as they were requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Immigration of Malaysia, during various meetings, to help the Recalibration Programme whatever way possible, Sarwar said in Kuala Lumpur. Read Initiatives taken to help workers get jobs in Malaysia without hassle: Envoy He said the High Commission is optimistic that under the guidance of the Minister for Human Resources of Malaysia and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister of Bangladesh, the ongoing negotiations for the recruitment of new workers from Bangladesh will be concluded at the earliest. Bangladesh High Commission launched the job portal as part of its responsibility for the greater welfare of Bangladeshi nationals in Malaysia, said the High Commissioner. Considering the importance of the initiative, he said, the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister attended the virtual launching ceremony as the chief guest while State Minister for Foreign Affairs was the special guest.  Read Comprehensive database for migrant workers launched with IOM support Secretary of Bangladesh Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Deputy Director General of Malaysian Department of Labour were also present in the virtual ceremony as special guests. Bangladesh High Commission has recently launched the online job portal "Chakrir Khoj" targeting "only the illegal Bangladeshi workers" in Malaysia to find suitable employers. Moreover, the High Commission has received requests from several Malaysian employers to help them to find suitable Bangladeshi undocumented workers for employment under the recalibration programme, as the ongoing recalibration programme do not allow any third party vendors to help the employers to search for undocumented foreign workers, said the High Commissioner. Read Biman to run special flights to 5 countries from Apr 17 Malaysia is one of the most popular destinations for Bangladeshi workers. Many enter the country legally and then stay past their visa’s expiration date. Last year, when the world was gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic, only 125 Bangladeshis were employed in Malaysia, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). A year before that only 545 Bangladeshis had gone to Malaysia with jobs. In 2018, the number was 175,927. Read Best Job Searching Websites in Bangladesh In 2019, Bangladeshis expatriates in Malaysia sent back US$1,278.57 million, which was 6.97 percent of the total remittance received that year. Last year, the figure was $1,735.34 million – 7.98 percent of the total inbound remittance, according to BMET. From 1976 to February 2021, officially 1,057,185 Bangladeshis had gone to Malaysia for work. Read Dhaka seeks KL's support to finalise protocol on manpower recruitment

Newly appointed Ambassador of Bangladesh to Albania Asud Ahmed presented his credentials to president of the Republic of Albania Ilir Meta at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace in Tirana on Friday.

The government has appointed Tareq Md Ariful Islam, currently serving as the Deputy Permanent Representative in the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York, as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran presented his credentials to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday.