State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said Bangladesh has an independent judicial process and the court will take decisions based on evidence regarding Prof Muhammad Yunus. “They can observe the proceedings. We welcome that surely,” he told reporters regarding those who wrote a letter in favour of the Nobel laureate. The state minister wanted to know whether there is any instance in the world where allegations against a person cannot be investigated. Together for Yunus: World leaders past and present joined by Nobel laureates, popstars and tycoons in letter to PM “What I want to say is that there has been no influence of the government in the past, and there will be no such influence in the future either. Bangladesh’s judiciary is independent and the independent judiciary will take decisions based on evidence," said the state minister. “They must have the guts and courage to accept the verdict,” he added, describing the development as “frustrating.” The state minister for foreign affairs also said that calling for the suspension of court proceedings is “unheard of”. “I do not think those who are joining in this call in favour of Prof Yunus are doing proper justice to their own reputation,” he said. Obama writes letter of support as pressure mounts on Dr Yunus The state minister also said that the government does not want to make any comment on an issue related to court proceedings. More than 160 global leaders, including over 100 Nobel laureates, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing their deep concern about the safety and wellbeing of Prof Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s first and so far, only Nobel laureate. Addressed directly to the PM, the letter is signed by Nobel laureates, elected officials, business figures, and civil society leaders. The signatories applauded Bangladesh’s remarkable progress since its independence in 1971. However, their collective concern arose from the “perceived threats to democracy and human rights” that have recently emerged within the country. Petition dismissed, Appellate Division orders to continue labour law violation case against Dr Yunus, 3 others "We respectfully ask that you immediately suspend the current judicial proceedings against Prof Yunus, followed by a review of the charges by a panel of impartial judges drawn from within your nation, with some role for internationally recognised legal experts. We are confident that any thorough review of the anti-corruption and labour law cases against him will result in his acquittal,” the letter addressed to PM Hasina reads.

Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today (June 25, 2023) said, the narrative of Bangladesh being a “small country” has changed globally with its growing economy, wider engagement with partners, and political stability. “Bangladesh is seen as an example of good practice in multilateral forums,” he said while speaking at DCAB Talk. Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted its flagship event at the Foreign Service Academy. Also read: UN officials praise Bangladeshi peacekeepers during meeting with PM Hasina DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus moderated the discussion. DCAB General Secretary Emrul Kayesh also spoke on the occasion. The state minister said that Bangladesh’s importance has increased significantly and its level of cooperation internationally has also been enhanced. He said Bangladesh has achieved continuity and stability, and this continuity will prevail. Responding to a question, Alam said, the government is “not feeling any pressure” ahead of the national election as the Election Commission will proceed as per the constitution. Also read: Discrimination, sexual abuse have no place in Peacekeeping Missions, Dhaka says Referring to events over 10 years ago, the state minister said that there is no word like “fear” in the dictionary of Awami League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He also mentioned a diplomatic call for a fresh election before monsoon in the past, saying, “That sounds too ambitious.” The state minister said the government will not accept or welcome any interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs but will welcome election observers. He said there has been conspiracy against Bangladesh in the past. Also read: Climate change: Foreign Minister highlights adaptation efforts Alam said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not take any step that goes against the interest of the people and the country. Responding to a question, Alam said that there has been significant progress that leads to the need for withdrawing US sanctions on the elite force, RAB. "We will realise the demand (withdrawal of sanctions)." In his remarks, DCAB President Rezaul Karim said they understand Bangladesh has emerged as an important country in geopolitics with its growing economy. He said Bangladesh’s extraordinary development, democratic stability, and geopolitical significance are undeniably matters of discussion at home and abroad. Read more: UN officials praise Bangladeshi peacekeepers during meeting with PM Hasina

The government would take appropriate steps if any foreign diplomat crosses the line, said Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday (June 5, 2023). "There was such a phase six months ago. If it (crossing line) happens again, we will take steps taking that into cognisance. However, I am not aware of anything as of now," he said. Read more: ‘Undivided India’ map at new parliament: No reason for confusion, Dhaka waiting for official version from Delhi, says Shahriar Alam The State Minister made the remarks when a reporter drew his attention about Japanese Ambassador Iwama Kiminori’s visit to the Election Commission and his meeting with a political party. Read more: Exaggeration, inconsistency in Congressmen’s letter: Shahriar Alam Earlier, former Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki made comments on Bangladesh's last national election, and Bangladesh described Naoki's comments on Bangladesh's election "unexpected."

Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Wednesday (May 31, 2023) said security cooperation does not refer to any strategic alliance. He, however, said they have probably slowed down some of the major purchase plans due to current economic situation, which will continue until further improvement of the economic situation. "We do not want any war. But if the independence of Bangladesh is hurt, if the sovereignty is hurt, we will need tools to counter it," Shahriar said, adding that the government is focusing on further economic development. He was speaking at an interactive session titled "Bangladesh at the Crossroads" held in a hotel in Dhaka. Read more: Shahriar hopes US taking good note of BNP’s threat over election The Daily Ittefaq organised the event where its Publisher and Executive Director Tareen Hossain delivered welcome remarks. The State Minister said any defence agreement with any country does not mean that Bangladesh will get involved in war against any country. "We have to procure necessary equipment to defend our country. We have Forces Goal 2030," he said. The country's economic well-being is now the biggest priority, Shahriar said. Read more: President Erdogan and PM Hasina vow to take Dhaka-Ankara ties to new height "We are under no security threats," he said, adding that of course there is always the risk of extremism and Bangladesh will prevent it. Shahriar said Bangladesh has some strategic plans as part of Forces Goal 2030 and it will have to wait for some more time to be completed. Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Nahim Razzaq, diplomats from foreign missions stationed in Dhaka and journalists were present. Read more: Nothing to share yet regarding China’s GDI, says Shahriar Alam

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has called for robust international efforts to expedite repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar. With its limited resources and inadequate external support Bangladesh has to continue the humanitarian operation until the repatriation process for over one million Rohingyas is complete. In this context, the State Minister urged the international community to contribute generously to the humanitarian aid fund for them. He made the appeal while addressing the launching of Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2023 for Rohingyas in Geneva on March 7. Also Read: JRP 2023 launched: IOM in $125m appeal for Rohingyas, hosts The State Minister also requested all humanitarian partners to prioritize sectors covering the basic necessities like food, health, site management and shelter, etc. in their assistance.   Recalling that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had opened the borders of Bangladesh to save the lives of Rohingyas back in 2016 and 2017 despite its serious ramification on the economy, environment, security, and socio-political stability of Bangladesh, State Minister Alam briefed the audience of Bangladesh’s numerous efforts, including development of Bhasan Char with its own resources to improve the living standards of the Rohingyas, ensure their education, and skills development opportunities. Mentioning that Bangladesh is the largest donor, spending around 1.69 billion USD last year for the massive humanitarian operations for Rohingyas, ensuring safety and security in and around camps, restoration of the environment, and mitigation of sufferings of the Rohingyas and the host community, State Minister Alam warned that the impasse over commencing return of the Rohingyas to their home country might affect the security and stability of the entire region and jeopardize development initiatives. Repatriation has been mentioned as the top priority in JRP 2023. Also Read: UNHCR, partners seek $876m for Rohingyas facing uncertainty, Bangladeshi hosts Under JRP 2023 an amount of USD 876 million has been sought and a chapter on Bhasan Char has been added. The State Minister recalled that 62.7% of the pledged amount under JRP 2022 was funded and it was quite challenging to meet the needs of the growing Rohingya population and mitigate the sufferings of the host community in Bangladesh with the received donation. He also said that the Ukraine War and other multiple crises have worsened the funding crisis for Rohingyas. The State Minister expressed concern over the disinformation or biased projection of the government’s efforts to arrange education, skill development initiatives and even improve the security situation for the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. Read More: US announces $26m more in assistance for Rohingyas, host communities He also remarked that uncertainty to commence repatriation is often being used as a domestic political tool by opposition parties in Bangladesh, projecting it as a failure of the present government. The State Minister urged all to check the ground reality prevailing in Bangladesh and talk to the government before relying on those “concocted stories”. Co-sponsored by the UNHCR and IOM, the JRP for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis was attended by ambassadors/permanent representatives of member states of the UN, representatives of NGO, INGOs, media, academician, and officials of UN bodies. Appreciating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s generosity in allowing Rohingyas to take shelter in Bangladesh and various efforts of Bangladesh including education for forcibly displaced Rohingyas, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Director General of the International Organization for Migration also called upon the international community to provide increased humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas in their dire need. Read More: Rohingya crisis not forgotten: EU high representative They also acknowledged that repatriation is key to resolving the Rohingya crisis and Myanmar has to demonstrate political will to that end. The EU, US, Norway, Switzerland, Australia and some other donor countries announced their respective contributions for the Rohingyas for 2023 in the JRP event. The State Minister also met with High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at the UN Office in Geneva and briefed him of the efforts made by the government under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina to promote and protect human rights of all. He reiterated the government’s commitment to consistent engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms.   The State Minister briefed the High Commissioner about Rohingya camp situations in Cox’s Bazar and the newly built Bhasan Char shelter. Read More: BURMA Act: Military support to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar 'may undermine' Bangladesh’s security He emphasized burden sharing by the international community and its stronger commitment to their right to return and to ensuring justice and accountability for them. High Commissioner Volker Turk applauded Bangladesh’s outstanding advancements in socio-economic arena, and its engagement with UN mechanisms. He praised Bangladesh’s humanitarian leadership in sheltering Rohingyas and efforts to advance world peace.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said the Bangladesh government is persistently working to consolidate relations with neighbours for regional stability, shared prosperity, and mutual development. Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar, he emphasised strengthening bilateral relations with neighbours through promoting partnership and cooperation, increasing trade and commerce, pursuing cooperation in the water and power sector, enhancing connectivity, collaborating on capacity building for people-to-people contact and underscored the importance of humanitarian assistance to demonstrate soft power. Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar on ‘Strengthening Bangladesh’s Foreign Relations with Neighbours in the Evolving Global Order’ The State Minister Bangladesh’s principal foreign policy – friendship to all, malice towards none- will remain intact whatever the global order is shifting towards. Read more: Pilot project of Rohingya repatriation to be executed at an early date, hopes Shahriar “Our principal position - friendship to all, malice towards none- will remain intact, no matter what happens,” he said. The state minister said that Bangladesh would also never compromise in the areas of its founding principles - nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism. “Keeping those intact, Bangladesh will continue its resources … we have large Bangladeshi diaspora .. we do have, of course, some soft power,” he said. Alam said Bangladesh would continue to expand its relationship that has already established as a good neighbour in its neighbourhood. “We (also) hope that our neighbours will try to reciprocate that with best of their ability,” he said adding that these are more relevant when the world is undergoing a complex situation condition  

Highlighting Japan's cooperation in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday hoped that bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Japan would reach new heights. During the meeting with newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Minister thanked the government of Japan for providing technical and financial support for the implementation of the Metrorail project. Ambassador Iwama sought the cooperation of the State Minister for Foreign Affairs in fulfilling his duties. Welcoming the new Ambassador of Japan, the State Minister said that Japan is Bangladesh's single largest bilateral development partner and an important country for trade and investment. Also Read: New Japanese envoy exchanges views on bilateral interests with foreign secretary During the meeting, both sides cordially exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest, including Japanese development assistance, human resources development, Rohingya repatriation, cooperation in different multilateral fora etc.  The State Minister appreciated Japan’s continued support for repatriation of Rohingyas and expressed hope that Japan would continue to extend its support towards the early repatriation of the Rohingyas for the sake of peace and stability in the region. State Minister Alam wished Ambassador Iwama successful tenure in Bangladesh and assured him of full cooperation in discharging his duties.  

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said the government needed to inform foreign missions in Dhaka that there is no room for “misinformation” and “confusion” “It is nothing new. It falls within the normal diplomatic practice as we always do that and keep all informed when something major happens,” he told reporters, noting that BNP’s plan to create anarchy centering its December 10 rally “didn’t work”. Alam said BNP is spreading propaganda at home and abroad and they had chosen December 10 as major countries announced new sanctions on December 9. BNP tried to block major Dhaka streets from December 7, he added. Read more: Tension over Dec 10 rally: Momen says govt doesn’t want conflict, will maintain maximum restraint The government will not allow deliberate violence and vandalism that are threats to public security, the state minister said. He said BNP invested millions of dollars and pounds on lobbyists who assured the party that there will be more sanctions. “Centering this, they were in a celebratory mood and wanted to prove that the government does not have any friends,” Alam said. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) offered BNP the permission to hold their public rally at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan that has enough space for a large gathering. Alam said that BNP did not accept the venue, as it did not go with their spirit, and they did not have the ability to bring people in large numbers. Read more: US Embassy issues alert for its citizens in Bangladesh He said politics is “not like a picnic” and it is not acceptable to block streets and disrupt public movement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 12 shared a “non-paper on recent political situation in Bangladesh” with all foreign missions and office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka. Assessing the possible implications on security, public safety, safety of properties, public mobility and overall law-and-order situation in the capital ahead of Victory Day on December 16, the historic Suhrawardy Udyan was offered.  “Presumably, BNP leaders wanted to make a political issue out of the venue. Their objective was to create anarchy on the busy public street as they did in 2014 and 2018 before the national elections,” the MoFA note reads. Read more: UN reminds Bangladesh of commitments to free expression, peaceful assembly It mentioned that the BNP wanted to take common people under hostage situations to make their unlawful demand. BNP plotted to use the constitutional right to peaceful assembly with unlawful and violent intentions, according to the document seen by UNB. According to police, cocktails were also found in the BNP party office. The circumstantial evidence shows that the actual plan of the BNP was to occupy the street forcefully and unlawfully three days prior to the scheduled public gathering, according to the MoFA document. Later BNP agreed on an alternative venue (Golapbagh Math) for their December 10 rally, and the meeting went peacefully without any major incident. “This reflects the government’s willingness and efforts to ensure freedom of expression and assembly,” reads the document.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Wednesday said Bangladesh will continue to promote sustainable growth, solidarity, peace and justice. He underscored Bangladesh’s strong conviction that the SDG 16 on peace and inclusive societies is to be fully implemented globally to rip the benefit for all. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on peace, justice and inclusion breaks new ground in development thinking. Read more: Landslides remain most substantial damaging, recurrent hazards in Cox’s Bazar: UNDP “Bangladesh remains keen to work with the international community and the multilateral system to this end,” Alam said, highlighting the guiding principles of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and peace-centric foreign policy. The State Minister called upon everyone to work together to unlock newer opportunities for a better and prosperous future for all including the generations ahead; leaving no one behind. He was speaking as the chief guest at a programme on “UN Global Compact Network Bangladesh Sustainability Day 2022” held in a Dhaka hotel. Farooq Sobhan, Representative of the UN Global Compact Network Bangladesh GCNB), among others, spoke at the event marking the “Sustainability Day 2022”.

India has again assured Bangladesh of resolving the Teesta river water sharing issue, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said today (September 6, 2022). “We are still at the assurance level. We believe the commitment that India made will be fulfilled, though it may take time,” he said. The state minister said this at a press briefing held at Bangladesh House in the Indian capital after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. He, however, said that the major achievement of PM Hasina’s current visit is the agreement on the withdrawal of water from Kushiyara river by Bangladesh. Read: Hope all outstanding issues, including Teesta treaty, are resolved soon: PM This was among the seven MoUs signed between the two countries on the second day of Hasina’s four-day official visit to India. Shahriar Alam, while responding to a question, mentioned that India has given due importance to PM’s ongoing visit. He mentioned that if one goes through Delhi’s streets, they will see posters of the Bangladesh PM, and Indian media is giving the visit round the clock coverage. During the bilateral talks, he said, both the leaders discussed connectivity, cooperation on energy and trade, and water sharing.  “Every issue was discussed with an open mind during the bilateral talks. Both sides believe that every issue would be solved through discussions,” he added. Shahriar said that Narendra Modi highly praised Bangladesh’s unprecedented development under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina and said the Bangladesh Prime Minister has taken care of the country’s 17 crore people with motherly affection during the COVID-19 pandemic.