foreign minister
FM stresses integration of nature-based solutions to improve resilience
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has stressed the integration of nature-based solutions into the coastal zone management strategies and other relevant policies instrumental to reduce risks and improve the resilience of the coast.
He termed the nature-based solutions as a cost-effective approach that utilises ecosystems and biodiversity services for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and provides a range of co-benefits like sustainable livelihoods and food, water and energy security.
Dr Momen inaugurated the three-day long IORA Blue Carbon Hub think tank meeting “Nature-based solutions for coastal risk reduction” on Tuesday organised by the governments of Bangladesh and Australia in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and IORA Blue Carbon Hub.
Secretary at Maritime Affairs Unit Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam chaired the opening session. Around a hundred participants joined the opening day of the meeting.
Dhaka to host World Peace Conference in November
Bangladesh will host a two-day world peace conference in November this year, marking the ongoing birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of promoting a culture of peace and tolerance.
Bangabandhu Peace Award will be introduced and conferred during the conference.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said this while addressing a discussion at Foreign Service Academy, marking the anniversary of Bangabandhu's Joliot Curie Peace Prize given in recognition of his contributions to world peace.
Also read: New Delhi mission observes Bangabandhu's Joliot-Curie award anniversary
The Father of the Nation, who was a proponent of peace and addressing problems with dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful resolution of conflicts, was awarded the medal on May 23, 1973. It was the first international award to the newly-independent Bangladesh.
No change in Bangladesh's position over Israel: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said there has been no change in Bangladesh's position towards Israel as it still does not recognise Israel.
He said removing the words like valid for travelling except Israel in the new passport does not mean that there has been a change in Bangladesh’s position.
Dr Momen made the remarks when his comment was sought by UNB on media reports in this regard.
The Foreign Minister said the Home Ministry saw many passports of other countries around six months ago when new passports were ordered for Bangladesh.
Also read: Israeli military says it bombed home of a top Hamas leader
Dr Momen said no passport in the world contains such words which is true. "The changes have been made to maintain the global standards," he added.
Passport is a national identity and it does not reflect any foreign policy, said the Foreign Minister.
Earlier, Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gilad Cohen tweeted saying Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel.
"Great news! Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step and I call on the Bangladeshi government to move forward and establish diplomatic ties with Israel so both of our peoples could benefit and prosper," he tweeted.
Also read: AP 'horrified' by Israeli attack on its office
Bangladesh has ruled out it keeping its position unchanged
The ban on travel of Bangladeshi passport holders to Israel remains unchanged, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement clearing Bangladesh’s position on Israel’s tweet.
The government of Bangladesh has not deviated from its position on Israel and Bangladesh remains firm on its longstanding position in this regard, it said.
It said the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently been drawn to a twitter issued from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel welcoming removal of ban on travel to Israel on E-passports being issued by Bangladesh.
The MoFA said the confusion appears to have emanated from the new booklets of E-passports which does not contain the observation “all countries excepting Israel”.
The removal of the observation has been done to maintain international standard of Bangladeshi e-passports and does not imply any change of Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards the Middle East, it said.
The government of Bangladesh has condemned the recent atrocities inflicted upon the civilians by the occupation forces of Israel in Al-Aqsa mosque compound and at Gaza.
Bangladesh reiterates its principled position concerning the two-State Solution of the Palestine-Israel conflict in light of the UN resolutions recognizing pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, said the MoFA.
Bangladesh urgently seeks 1.6mn AstraZeneca doses from UK
After its request to the United States, Bangladesh has urged the United Kingdom (UK) to help it by providing vaccine doses to meet its emergency needs as the second dose vaccination is disrupted in Bangladesh.
"I’m not asking for too much, I’m only asking for 1.6m AstraZeneca doses that they have, they should immediately disburse those to Bangladesh so that people can have their second dose," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said in an interview with ITV News.
Dr Momen said his message to the UK government is that they should be more sincere. "They should help their Commonwealth member states."
He said Bangladesh is a good friend of the UK and so many Bangladeshis contribute to the UK economy. "… so the UK should come forward."
Speaking to ITV News, Dr Momen described the vaccine situation in Bangladesh as a "crisis", adding: "We’re desperate."Bangladesh entered into a deal with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to purchase 30 million doses of a potential vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca for Covid-19.
Read: Rozina to get fair judgement: FM tells CNN
Bangladesh was supposed to get five million doses of the vaccine per month as the SII and Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharma signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for priority delivery of the vaccine doses.
Bangladesh sought at least 3 million doses of the vaccine under the agreement to address the immediate demand in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has so far received only 7 million of Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine doses produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) through its contract. Bangladesh also received 3.3 million doses of the vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift.
"India is facing a very critical situation, very alarming… They’re finding it difficult, we can understand it,” Dr Momen said. "So, they’re failing to distribute the vaccine they promised to send us."
He told ITV News that the Bangladeshi government has appealed directly to the UK government for these required doses, but the request was ultimately rejected on the grounds that the UK government did not have the capacity.
"We’ve a belief that if the [UK] government tries, it can do it because they’ve the capacity," the Bangladesh Foreign Minister said.
Although Covid-19 daily cases in Bangladesh are relatively low and, according to the Foreign Minister, measures were in place to prevent the spread of the Indian variant into Bangladesh, the identification of six cases in Bangladesh earlier this month has concerned some experts.
On Friday, the Foreign Minister reached out to global media to let the world know that Bangladesh desperately looks for vaccines desperately and is ready to accept any shipment desperately from any country, including the United States.
"We need it desperately. If any shipment comes, we’ll take it right away," he told CNN in a live interview.
Dr Momen said the big problem is that a large number of people in Bangladesh who took the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca could not get the second dose. "Because we don't have any more. We can't give them the second dose. That’s creating a lot of problems for us," said the Foreign Minister.
He said the government of Bangladesh is trying to get vaccines from other places and they were delighted when Bangladesh heard that the US will be distributing some of the AstraZeneca vaccines that they have.
Dr Momen said he had requested the US government and sent a letter to his counterpart US Secretary of State. "They agreed to give us by and large. "
Read: S Korean envoy shares historical documents with FM Momen
Now the problem is, he said, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking a long time to approve the export of AstraZeneca.
Dr Momen said they are thankful to US President Joe Biden for announcing that the USA will be distributing some of the AstraZeneca vaccine to developing countries, pretty large numbers - 60 million plus 20 around - 80 million vaccines. "This is good news for us."
Exploring Multiple Options On Thursday, Dr Momen said the government is making its best efforts to get vaccines connecting multiple countries - the United States, China, Canada and Russia the UK - apart from its continuous request to India to meet Bangladesh's urgent needs.
He said the discussion with China is almost at the final stage while they are expecting a positive reply from the US on the vaccine front.
While talking to reporters at State guesthouse Padma, Dr Momen said there are people who could not take the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to its short supply from India.
He also highlighted the ongoing discussion with Russia. "Hope, everything will be settled within a week."
Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said they came to know unofficially that Bangladesh is not there on the priority list of the USA as there is a lesser number of deaths in Bangladesh.
"I didn't like the idea. They (US) don't think it's a crisis in Bangladesh," he said, adding that it is an emergency issue for Bangladesh.
US State Department Coordinator for Global COVID Response and Health Security Gayle E Smith has said the United States is going to be the largest sharer of vaccines putting 80 million additional doses into the mix.
"I can’t tell you at this point what the allocation is going to be per country. We’ll have information for you later on. And as I think I mentioned, we are also, with respect to India and also India’s neighbours, mounting an emergency humanitarian response given the surges that are ongoing there," she said.
In a telephonic media briefing on Wednesday, Smith referred to an announcement by US President Joe Biden earlier this week that they will be sharing 20 million vaccine doses from their own stocks in addition to the 60 million AstraZeneca doses that were announced previously by the President.
"So that means we’re going to be putting 80 million additional vaccine doses into the mix, making us the largest sharer of vaccines thus far," she said.
The US official said given the surge there, India has been a major priority for the US. "We’ve delivered $100 million in emergency assistance; mobilised with the American private sector a pretty amazing response, again, from the American private sector and public, and we’ll continue to do so."
Read: More countries approached for vaccines; talks with China at final stage: FM
Smith said she does not have anything to say yet on the ultimate allocations, but they will reach out and make sure that all are informed when those decisions are made.
Responding to a question on India, Dr Momen said India did never say that they will not give vaccines to Bangladesh but failed to deliver.
He said India was requested to provide vaccine doses to Bangladesh as a gift to meet its emergency need if India has an embargo on export.
"I should say we had a very positive discussion (with my Indian counterpart," Dr Momen said.
Covid vaccine: China to send additional 6 lakh doses as gift
China is preparing a the second batch of 600,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh.
The announcement came Friday, just nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine as a gift.
China says the move fully reflects that it attaches great importance to the friendly relations between the two countries.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday to this end.
Read Bangladesh, China, others call for avoiding vaccine nationalism
At the request of Bangladesh, it was announced that China would handover the second batch of 600,0000 vaccine doses to Bangladesh.
China pays close attention to the latest situation of the epidemic in Bangladesh, the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka said.
At this critical time in Bangladesh’s fight against the epidemic, China is concerned about the urgent need for vaccinating its Bangladeshi friends, to help the overcomes the huge demand for domestic and foreign orders and the shortage of vaccine supply, it said.
The arrival of the second batch vaccine will definitely help the Bangladeshi government and people build a strong line of defense against the epidemic, China said.
Also read: Govt approves proposal to import Sinofarm vaccine
In the future, China is willing to provide necessary support for Bangladesh and South Asian countries to fight the epidemic, deepen anti-epidemic cooperation with Bangladesh, and effectively protect the health and security of their citizens.
The Chinese Foreign Minister assured of providing all kinds of support to ensure continuation of "stable supply" of COVID vaccines to Bangladesh.
Dr Momen requested his Chinese counterpart to take an initiative for coproduction of vaccines in Bangladesh.
The Chinese Foreign Minister said they will encourage the Chinese companies to go for coproduction of vaccines with Bangladesh.
Read WHO team working with Chinese vaccine producers ahead of potential emergency use: WHO director-general
He said China keeps up its support with Malaysia, Turkey, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates on vaccine coproduction.
More countries approached for vaccines; talks with China at final stage: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said the government is making its best efforts to get vaccines connecting multiple countries -- the United States, China, Canada, Russia and the UK -- apart from its continuous request to India to meet Bangladesh's urgent needs.
He said the discussion with China is almost at the final stage while they are expecting a positive reply from the US on the vaccine front.
While talking to reporters at State guesthouse Padma, Dr Momen said there are people who could not take a second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to short supply from India.
Before the briefing, the Foreign Minister had a meeting with South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun at State guesthouse Padma.
He also highlighted the ongoing discussion with Russia. "Hope, everything will be settled within a week."
Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said they came to know unofficially that Bangladesh is not there on the priority list of the USA as there is a lesser number of deaths in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh seeks at least 2 mln doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada
Bangladesh has sought at least 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada on an emergency basis to meet the emergency need of 1.6 million doses of the vaccine to provide second doses.
"This is at present a high priority for Bangladesh," said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen during his meeting with Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Benoit Préfontaine on Tuesday.
Referring to recent statement of Canadian Procurement Minister Anita Anand that Canadian Government might distribute excess stockpiles of AstraZeneca vaccine among developing countries, Dr Momen urged the Canadian High Commissioner to pursue his Government so that Bangladesh receives AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada.
He also underscored that such supply of vaccine should be directly sent to Bangladesh, as has been done for some other countries like Pakistan, rather than through the COVAX programme of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The main point of discussion was on the possibility of receiving AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada to meet up immediate second dose vaccine requirements in Bangladesh.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh acted fast on collecting vaccine by concluding the agreement with the Serum Institute in India to procure 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and is now in a difficult situation as only 10.2 million doses of vaccine has been received from India.
He said the prospect of getting more is low due to the ongoing massive COVID-19 outbreak in India.
Dr Momen also proposed that Canada may help vaccinating forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh separately.
Foreign Minister Momen also apprised the Canadian High Commissioner of the Government’s efforts to acquire vaccine from some other countries including China, Russia and the US.
The Canadian High Commissioner assured that he will follow up with his government about Bangladesh’s request to provide 2 million doses of vaccine immediately, which is also being followed up with the Canadian Government by Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa.
The Bangladesh Foreign Minister also thanked Canada for its continued strong political and humanitarian support for the Rohingya crisis, underscoring that sustainable return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar is the solution.
He also reiterated Bangladesh’s expectation that Canada would extend Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) access to Bangladeshi export products till 2027, and also would commence negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Bangladesh soon.
Dr Momen reiterated Bangladesh’s strong expectation that Nur Chowdhury, the convicted killer of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would be returned back to Bangladesh in near future.
High Commissioner Préfontaine stated that Canada would continue its humanitarian support for displaced Rohingyas and host communities at the same scale for next three years, as was reflected in their budgetary framework for next three years.
He also underscored that Canada is willing to enhance its economic cooperation with Bangladesh, including in areas of trade and investment.
Address Palestinian issue: Bangladesh to UN Security Council
Bangladesh has said the UN Security Council, as the principal organ of the UN charged with ensuring international peace and security, should take up the issue of violence and breach of security in the Al-Quds Al-Shareef and the entire occupied land of the State of Palestine.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh believes in a comprehensive and durable solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quarter Roadmap.
He reiterated Bangladesh's position in the open-ended meeting of the OIC Executive Committee held on virtual platform on Sunday.
It's very regrettable, says FM on China's Quad remarks
Terming Chinese envoy's recent remarks very regrettable, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said Bangladesh maintained a non-aligned and balanced foreign policy and it will decide what to do following that principles.
"We’re an independent and sovereign State. We decide our (own) foreign policy. But yes, any country can uphold its position," he told reporters adding that they recall with respect what others say but did not expect such behaviour from China.
The Foreign Minister made the remarks when his comments sought on Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming's remarks on "Quad" and Bangladesh.
"Naturally, he (Ambassador) represents a country. They can say what they want. Maybe they don't want it (Bangladesh's joining Quad)," Dr Momen said, adding that no one from the Quad has approached Bangladesh yet.
“The comment has been an advanced one,” said the Foreign Minister.
He said usually China does not interfere in others' internal affairs and they did not see anyone saying anything in such an aggressive way. "It's very regrettable."
Also read: Beijing wants Dhaka not to join Quad
Dr Momen said they (China) can say their position and Bangladesh always welcomes what others say. "We'll listen to what they say. But we'll decide what is good for us."
He said once the United States had asked Bangladesh for selling gas but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina replied to power like the US that Bangladesh would decide after keeping reserve for 50 years. "Who’re you?"
Dr Momen said they are lucky that they have a leader like Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He said many people at many times had said many things in the past but Bangladesh has done what is good for the country and for the wellbeing of its people guided by its principled position.
Dr Momen said they will decide following the foreign policy principles considering the interest of people and the country. "We've maintained a non-aligned and a balanced foreign policy. We’ll continue to do it (maintaining non-aligned and balanced foreign policy)."
"What he (Ambassador) said (is) fine. We’ve no special comment on that," Dr Momen added.
Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Monday said Bangladesh’s relations with China will "substantially get damaged" if Bangladesh joins "Quad", a US-led initiative.
Also read: 5 lakh doses of Chinese vaccine to arrive on May 12: Envoy
The envoy said obviously it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four countries because it will substantially damage the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
“So, we don’t like to see any form of participation by Bangladesh to this small group of countries,” said Ambassador Li.
He termed “Quad” a military alliance aiming against China's resurgence and its relationship with neighbouring countries.
The US, India, Japan and Australia are part of an informal strategic alliance - the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad as it is known.
Known as the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,” representatives for the four member nations met periodically since its establishment in 2007.
While talking to UNB at his residence recently, Dr Momen said then the world was divided into blocks -- one was eastern bloc and another western bloc.
Since the eastern bloc helped Bangladesh most, many had thought Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would join the eastern bloc but Bangabandhu did not do it and maintained a non-aligned position, he said.
Also read: Ready to offer more support if Covid situation deteriorates in Bangladesh: China
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh still believes in the foreign policy given by Bangabandhu - friendship to all malice to none.
Following Bangabandhu's footprint, Dr Momen said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, adopted a balanced and non-aligned foreign policy.
He said Bangladesh is in a very good position as it has friends like India and China - two big countries. "We maintain good relations with both the countries."
Dr Momen said Bangladesh has had a "rock-solid" relationship with India since 1971 and China is a big economic and development partner.
"Others see us with much respect as we maintain good relations with India and China," said the Foreign Minister, adding that Bangladesh could do things that other countries could not.
Keep up efforts to procure Covid vaccines: Standing committee on Foreign Ministry
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has suggested the ministry keep up intensified efforts to get Oxford-AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from India, China and the United States.
The 20th meeting of the committee was held at Sangsad Bhaban on Sunday with its Chairman Faruk Khan in the chair. Committee members including Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Nurul Islam Nahid and M Abdul Majid were present.
It reviewed the current situation about procurement of vaccines, celebrations of 50 years of Bangladesh's Independence and other issues, said a media release.
Dr Momen on Saturday said there is nothing to be worried about the availability of vaccines, noting that the government will have enough vaccines soon from alternative sources.
Also read: Nothing to be worried about vaccines: FM
“I believe we'll have enough vaccines. No person should be worried about it. Vaccines will come timely and all will get it,” he said in a video message shared on his verified Facebook page.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh is much ahead of many countries in the world in procuring vaccines and launching vaccination drives across the country.
He said many European countries decided about which vaccine they should use just in April whereas in Bangladesh many people got vaccinated.
Apart from China and Russia, Dr Momen said, there is much possibility to get vaccines from the US.
Also read: Deal with Russia soon over Covid vaccine: Health Minister
The Foreign Minister has recently written a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking vaccine doses for immediate and long-term needs.
The government has sought immediate release of 2-4 million doses of vaccine from the US and a total of 10 to 20 million doses of vaccine for the long-term supply.
The US will share up to 60 million doses of its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries as they become available.
The Foreign Minister said 5,00,000 doses of Chinese vaccine will arrive on May 12 as gift from the Chinese government.
Also read: Bangladesh seeks immediate delivery of 4 mn vaccine doses from US: FM
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.
The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
Dr Momen said Russia's Sputnik V vaccine showed over 97 percent efficacy while the Chinese vaccines were taken by 100 million people without any side effects.
Bangladesh has received 7 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) through its contract. Bangladesh also received 3.3 million doses of vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift. This is the largest amount sent from India to any country.