Foreign Affairs
Dhaka, Riyadh to sign MoUs on defence, ICT sector cooperation
Dhaka, Oct 15 (UNB) – Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will sign two documents on defence and ICT cooperation during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s KSA visit on October 17-18.
EU brings relief to river erosion victims of Shariatpur
Dhaka, Oct 15 (UNB) - European Union is providing EUR 80 000 (Tk7.84 million) in humanitarian aid funding to address the needs of the most vulnerable families in response to the collapse of the Padma River embankment in Shariatpur distirct.
Govt briefs diplomats on DSA, recent verdict
Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNB) - The government on Sunday briefed the diplomatic corps at the State Guest House Padma on recent political developments in Bangladesh, particularly on the verdict in the case of the 21st August 2004 grenade attack and the recently passed Digital Security Act 2018.
Bangladesh invests significantly to make agriculture climate resilient
Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNB) - Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Ambassador Masud Bin Momen has said Bangladesh has been spending over 1 percent of its GDP in addressing climate change impacts and has invested significantly in making its agriculture sector climate-resilient one.
Dhaka, Delhi can dominate any sub-regional, regional grouping: Srinivasan
Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNB) – With their relations now at a newer height, Bangladesh and India can dominate any sub-regional or regional grouping by continuing close coordination between the two countries, says an international relations analyst.
“Together we’re the giants in BBIN & Bimstec. We can dominate any sub-regional or regional grouping,” said former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador Krishnan Srinivasan.
BBIN is a sub-regional cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, while Bimstec stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec).
Through close coordination in all fields, he said, Bangladesh and India can together transform the landscape of the two countries, South and Southeast Asia.
The expert said India will soon be the 5th largest global economy, and Bangladesh will beat India in achieving the middle-income status.
In his recent paper presented at Cosmos Dialogue, Srinivasan said the current developments between Bangladesh and India are referred to as a golden age.
“Golden ages have come and gone, but there definitely are positive achievements in recent years on trade, land and rail connections, power supply, investments, lines of credit, exchange of visits, cultural and educational ties," he said.
The former Indian foreign secretary said the issue of water sharing is naturally emotive in Bangladesh, a deltaic country afflicted by floods and droughts and mentioned that India is required to understand Bangladesh’s needs.
Bangladesh and India reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations on the basis of friendship, trust and understanding for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.
Considering the vision of Bangladesh to become a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041, a senior official told UNB that the two countries agreed that a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in the coming days covering goods, services and investment would provide a sound basis for substantial enhancement of trade and commercial partnership.
Officials concerned of the two countries have already been directed to undertake a joint study on the prospects of entering into a bilateral CEPA, said the official.
Director of Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore C Raja Mohan, who also spoke at the Cosmos Dialogue, thinks Bangladesh requires defining the country’s interests keeping the ever-changing geopolitical and regional scenarios in considerations.
“The question is how you define your interests,” said the Indian scholar based in Singapore stressing that the two countries require building trust at all levels.
Raja Mohan said they are going to see the formation of new geography and one of the most critical elements is the rise of Bangladesh itself and transformation of its economy.
He said the growing economy of Bangladesh is going to have significant implications for South Asia.
Mohan said the change of geography around them will have at least five important consequences for bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India, including the argument of Bangladesh is India-locked. “In fact, Bangladesh can be a land bridge between India and China.”
Shedding light on politics, he said, “You’re free to elect whom you want. Today, in your country, you can elect any one. I’ve been advocating with India to deal with whoever is in the government. You can’t do the management of somebody else’s domestic politics.”
He thinks large countries have no choice but to deal with whoever is in power across the border and across the world.
“Sometimes it comes with problems, sometimes it comes with no problem. Democracy is not a gift that somebody else will give you,” Raja Mohan said adding, “Let’s be pragmatic.”
Diplomatic sources in New Delhi said India’s political parties and civil society members have good wishes for the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but they want to see the people of Bangladesh to decide on it.
Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla, on many occasions, said the next national election is an internal matter of Bangladesh and India will not make any comment on that.
Bangladesh’s victory in UNHRC manifests its ‘indomitable advancements’
Dhaka, Oct 13 (UNB) – A large number of representatives from United Nations (UN) Member States have congratulated the Bangladesh delegation after its win in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) election with huge votes.
Chinese investors laud Bangladesh’s stable environment
Dhaka, Oct 13 (UNB) – Chinese investors at a seminar in Beijing greatly acclaimed the stable environment of Bangladesh which, they said, has made the country a very attractive destination for investment.
US Senate confirms Earl R. Miller as next US Ambassador in Dhaka
Dhaka, Oct 13 (UNB)-The US Senate has confirmed the appointment of Earl R. Miller as the next U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh.
Dhaka sees no sign Islamabad expelling its envoy: Official
Dhaka, Oct 12 (UNB) – Bangladesh does not see any indication that Pakistan was considering the expulsion of its High Commissioner in Islamabad, says an official.
“No, we’ve not seen any such indication,” he told UNB when his attention was drawn about Pakistan media’s speculation about the possible expulsion.
There is news in the media that the government of Pakistan is considering expelling the Bangladeshi High Commissioner posted in Islamabad due to delay in accepting Pakistan High Commissioner-designate to Dhaka Saqlain Syedah by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, however, ruled out any such possible measure.
“The agreement of an Ambassador (High Commissioner) is a bilateral issue and is being pursued through diplomatic channels. No other action has been taken,” Spokesperson of the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday.
The post of the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh fell vacant after the retirement of Rafiuzaman Siddiqui in February this year.
Following the retirement of Siddiqui, Saqlain Syedah was designated as new High Commissioner to Bangladesh, according to Pakistan media reports.
Meanwhile, Indian media reported that Pakistan's ties with Bangladesh are set to dip further with Dhaka “refusing to accept” Islamabad's new envoy following allegations of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission being misused to perpetrate ISI activities against Dhaka and Delhi.
The Pakistan High Commission is being charged with encouraging activities against the Bangladesh government, reports The Economic Times.
Quoting Bangladesh government sources, the report mentioned that the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka has emerged as a centre of anti-government activities as well as activities against India.
The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka was misusing social media tools such as Facebook to spread disinformation campaign, the Economic Times report claimed.
It is no secret that Pak-Bangla ties are far from cordial and the Hasina government did not budge from executing the 1971 pro-Pak war criminals over the past 10 years despite Pakistan’s plea, the report says.
Desmond Tutu back at home after South African hospital stay
Johannesburg, Oct 12 (AP/UNB) — Former South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is recovering at home after being treated at a Cape Town hospital for more than two weeks.