United News of Bangladesh

Highlighting the importance of safe, orderly, and regular migration, Bangladesh on Monday issued a stern warning to bring unscrupulous syndicates involved in illegal practices under the law. The warning came at a meeting on migration, mobility, and the Bangladesh situation held at the State Guest House Padma at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The discussion took place against the backdrop of recent deaths of Bangladeshi migrants in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting the perilous Bangladesh-Libya-Italy route through irregular channels.  Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, senior government officials, the Ambassador of Italy, the CDA a.i. of Libya, and the Chief of IOM Mission in Dhaka also took part in the discussion with Shama Obaed in chair. The State Minister highlighted the “zero tolerance” commitment of the new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman toward illegal migration. At the session, Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro informed that the European Union is going to enact a new regulation on asylum and migration in June 2026, under which the asylum process would become tougher for illegal migrants seeking legal status. The meeting discussed ways for the future expansion of safe, orderly, and regular migration pathways by equipping migrants with skills, language proficiency, and making regular pathways more attractive. The need to link skill training with employment opportunities and collaborate with employers in destination countries to establish employment-guaranteed migration frameworks was underlined for a well-managed regular migration pathway. The State Minister also opined that the Bangladeshi diaspora should be engaged so that they could contribute more through remittances, capital, expertise, and ideas imbued with the vision of “Bangladesh First” to push Bangladesh onto a development trajectory envisioned by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The meeting ended with a general agreement among all partners to continue working together in close coordination to curb illegal migration, promote regular migration, and maintain a humane, regular, and rights-based approach throughout the migration process.