Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen
COP26: Alok Sharma pledges support for Bangladesh towards clean energy transition
Appreciating Bangladesh’s adaptation and resilience, COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma on Wednesday pledged to help Bangladesh having a “clean energy transition”.
“We can work together to make sure that it is not just the public finance but also private finance that is coming into Bangladesh,” he told reporters in a joint media briefing at Foreign Service Academy.
Responding to a question, Sharma said he discussed the coal power issue during his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen noting that he raised the issue not just in Bangladesh but around the world.
Read:We expect UK to promote interests of climate vulnerable countries: Hasina
He laid emphasis on alternative sources of energy – clean energy – if the dependency on coal power is cut globally.
To supplement, Foreign Minister Dr Momen said they are scaling down some of the coal power industries as part of reducing dependency on coal power.
“We planned to have around 40 percent renewable energy by 2041. We’ll be looking for more renewable energy and we’re asking for technology to support renewable energy,” he said.
Bangladesh is among the fast growing economies with significant renewable energy potential, said the UK government.
Responding to a question on US$ 100 billion climate fund for developing countries, Sharma said the donor and developed countries need to step up noting that it is a matter of trust and it is very important they deliver on it.
He appreciated Bangladesh’s leadership in terms of adaptation and resilience saying they saw a very limited damage during recent cyclones due to Bangladesh’s works done to that front.
Sharma expressed satisfaction over private sector’s interest towards clean energy transition but they want long-term policy and clear regulations from all governments around the world.
Read: COP26: Alok Sharma discusses climate issues with FM
On the Sundarbans, he said they want to see further protection given to areas such as mangroves. “I am looking forward to the visit tomorrow (Thursday) there.”
Dr Momen said they want to save the planet. “We’re capable of doing it if there’s strong partnership and collaboration.”
COP26: Alok Sharma discusses climate issues with FM
Visiting COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma on Wednesday met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and discussed priority issues on climate front.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, among others, attended the meeting.
Read: Alok Sharma in city to discuss climate issues ahead of COP26
Earlier, the State Minister received Sharma at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 09.20am upon his arrival.
He is also scheduled to attend "UK- Bangladesh Climate Partnership Roundtable" at 2pm at Foreign Service Academy before holding a joint briefing at 3pm.
Read:COP26 President-Designate Sharma due Wednesday to discuss climate issues
During his engagements in Dhaka, Sharma will discuss shared priorities with Bangladesh which remains a "crucial" partner on the road to COP26.
He is on a two-day visit to strengthen support for UK COP26 climate priorities ahead of hosting the crucial UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November.
Bhasan Char much better than Cox’s Bazar camps: UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Wednesday cleared its position regarding protection and assistance towards Rohingyas both in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, saying that they will continue to be present in various places around the country indicating the inclusion of Bhasan Char.
“The government has made a very important investment in Bhasan Char. Bhasan Char is a much better (place than Cox’s Bazar camps),” Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, told reporters after their meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen here.
Read:UNHCR seeks vaccinations for refugees in Asia, including Rohingyas
He said they are with the government of Bangladesh and they always work with the government. “We’re present in Cox’s Bazar. We’ll continue to be present in various places around the country and will work with the government to ensure assistance to refugees.”
Raouf said anybody may feel isolated in Bhasan Char but they must have economic activities apart from education and healthcare facilities.
Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said they are here to work and support the government in ensuring the protection of these Rohingyas.
Read:Fully cooperating with ICJ to “ensure justice” for Rohingyas: NUG
COP26 President-Designate Sharma due Wednesday to discuss climate issues
COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma arrives here on Wednesday morning to discuss shared priorities with Bangladesh which remains a "crucial" partner on the road to COP26.
He will meet Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday and attend a joint briefing at 3pm, a senior official told UNB on Tuesday.
Read:BUILD Chairperson meets new FBCCI president
Alok Sharma is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to discuss climate issues during his two-day visit.
His plan is to strengthen support for UK COP26 climate priorities ahead of hosting the crucial UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November.
He will discuss the needs of countries most vulnerable to climate change, to ensure they are equipped to deal with its current and damaging effects ahead of COP26.
Read:Bloomberg writer pours his heart out while praising Bangladesh’s progress
Preventing deforestation whilst ensuring development and trade is sustainable will also be high on the agenda, as COP26 looks to highlight the protection of nature and biodiversity as a key tool in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
With less than six months to go before COP26, he will meet leaders from government, business and civil society to press his personal priority for a move to global clean power, critical to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
FM mourns death of Ex. SAARC Secretary General Q.A.M.A Rahim
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday expressed deepest condolence and grief at the sad demise of Ambassador Q. A. M. A. Rahim, the seventh Secretary General of SAARC.
“Ambassador Rahim was a distinguished Bangladeshi diplomat and I remember his contribution to our beloved motherland and in improving the SAARC process as the Secretary General," Dr Momen said.
Read:2 senior UN officials in city; visit to Bhasan Char planned
The Foreign Minister extended his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family members and prayed for salvation of the departed soul.
He also prayed to the Almighty to grant his family members courage to bear this irreparable loss.
Read:FAO lauds Hasina's leadership in attaining food security in Bangladesh
Q.A.M.A. Rahim, a Bangladeshi diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation from January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005, passed away on Monday.
Rahim breathed his last at 12:30pm on Monday. He was 80.
He left behind his wife, two sons, host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death.
He was buried at Uttara, sector 12 after Namaj-e-Janaza (after Asr prayers)
General Assembly has not forgotten Rohingya people: Bozkir
President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir on Wednesday said the General Assembly has not forgotten the Rohingya people.
"To the people I met, I will uphold my promise to share your stories back in New York," he tweeted after visiting Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district.
The UNGA President said, "I came face to face with resilience today in Cox’s Bazar. We often speak about the Rohingya in UNGA - but today I spoke with them."
Read: Rohingyas rights to return, citizenship must be respected: UNGA President
Earlier on Tuesday, he said basic rights, including to citizenship, and the creation of conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of all Rohingyas must be respected.
“The safety and security of the Rohingya and other minorities must be secured,” he said while delivering his keynote speech at the Sixth Lecture of the Bangabandhu Lecture Series at Foreign Service Academy.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen also spoke at the programme titled “Bangabandhu, Bangladesh and the United Nations.”
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, among others, were present.
Bozkir said he firmly believes they cannot speak on these issues from afar. “The United Nations must continue to reach out to the people we serve.”
Turning to the issue of human rights and humanitarian action, he commended Bangladesh for offering shelter and protection to the Rohingya fleeing persecution and unspeakable crimes in Rakhine State.
Bozkir mentioned that Bangladesh stepped up at a moment of crisis to uphold the principles of the United Nations when most vulnerable neighbours endured their darkest hour.
“Please allow me, on behalf of the United Nations General Assembly, to thank you. History will define your actions as heroic,” he said.
Read: Bhasan Char to become another example to world: UNGA President
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 reaches out to int'l media as it seeks vaccines desperately
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday reached out to the global media to let the world know that Bangladesh 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 take 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.
Read: More countries approached for vaccines; talks with China at final stage: FM
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."
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 doses to developing countries, pretty large numbers - 60 million plus 20 around - 80 million doses. "This is good news for us."
Exploring Multiple Options
On Thursday, Dr Momen said the government is giving 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 the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to 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 in 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 vaccine jabs putting 80 million additional vaccine 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 neighbors, 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 vaccines into the mix, making us the largest sharer of vaccine doses thus far," she said.
Read:S Korean envoy shares historical documents with FM Momen
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."
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 vaccine doses 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.
Rozina to get fair judgement: FM tells CNN
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday said Prothom Alo senior correspondent Rozina Islam will get fair treatment and judgement, emphasising that Bangladesh’s judiciary is very independent.
“Bangladesh’s judiciary is very independent, she [Rozina] will get fair treatment, and judgment… everybody. We don't want anyone to suffer," he told CNN in a live interview, mentioning that it is a legal issue and in the process of that they do not intend to interfere with it.
Read: Order on journalist Rozina Islam’s bail Sunday
Dr Momen said there is law in the country and they honour the law, and that is why they do not want to talk about it much since it is in the court. “Rozina will get a totally fair judgment… no doubt about that."
On Thursday, Dr Momen said it is very regrettable what happened to journalist Rozina Islam and there is nothing to hide by the government.
"It's very regrettable. The government of Sheikh Hasina is a media-friendly one. We’ve nothing to hide. I know, as Foreign Ministry, we’ve to face it. Many will raise questions. We don't want such incidents," Dr Momen said.
He appreciated the role of the media for unearthing many stories, including the pillow saga and Shahed Karim issues.
"The government has taken action (after those stories are published). You (media) help the government. You’re part of the government. You’re helping us (govt) much. We thank you," he said.
Dr Momen referred to what ruling Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said on Wednesday and appreciated Hanif's remarks.
Read: It's very regrettable; nothing to hide: FM about Rozina issue
Hanif said the incident that took place in the Secretariat with journalist Rozina Islam was undesirable and that the country would benefit if strict action was taken against the corrupt instead of filing cases against journalists.
Dr Momen said this should have been managed by the Health Ministry.
Referring to what his other colleagues said, Dr Momen said Rozina will get justice. "It's unexpected."
Rozina is accused under sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and sections 379 and 411 of the Penal Code, for allegedly attempting to “collect sensitive government documents and taking photos of them” at the Health Ministry.
On May 18, a magistrate court turned down the police department’s request for a 5-day remand and instead sent her to jail.
Rozina was confined to a room for nearly six hours as she went to the Health Ministry on May 17 when she fell ill and fainted. She was then taken to Shahbagh Police Station.
Read: Drop all "oppressive charges" against Rozina: HRW
On Thursday, the Human Rights Watch said Bangladesh authorities should drop all the "oppressive charges" against renowned journalist Rozina Islam.
Rozina's colleagues believe she was detained over her reporting on corruption and mismanagement in the public health sector, including the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, said the HRW.
It's very regrettable; nothing to hide: FM about Rozina issue
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said it is very regrettable what happened to journalist Rozina Islam and there is nothing to hide by the government.
He said they will have to face the international community for the behaviour of a few people.
"It's very regrettable. The government of Sheikh Hasina is a media-friendly one. We’ve nothing to hide. I know, as Foreign Ministry, we’ve to face it. Many will raise questions. We don't want such incidents," Dr Momen said, adding that "you (questioner) may be right" that few people bring bad fame for the government.
The Foreign Minister made the remarks when his comment was sought on the issue of Rozina Islam after his meeting with South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun at State guesthouse Padma.
Read:Drop all "oppressive charges" against Rozina: HRW
Dr Momen appreciated the role of the media in unearthing many stories, including the pillow saga and Shahed Karim issues.
"The government has taken action (after those stories were published). You (media) help the government. You’re part of the government. You’re helping us (govt) much. We thank you," he said.
Dr Momen referred to what ruling Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said on Wednesday and appreciated his remarks.
Hanif said the incident that took place at the Secretariat with journalist Rozina Islam was undesirable and that the country would have benefited if strict action had been taken against the corrupt instead of filing cases against journalists.