Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (January 31, 2024) agreed to take the existing excellent bilateral relations to a higher level. This was expressed when President of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibraheem Al Sheikh called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban. PM’s Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhwat Moon briefed reporters after the call on. Moon said that Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia share a rich and longstanding historical relationship rooted in religious, cultural, and economic bonds. She Informed that for Bangladeshi Muslims, Saudi Arabia holds a special place in their hearts being the birthplace of Islam and the two holiest sites, Makkah, and Madinah. “Thousands of Bangladeshis perform the Holy Haji and the Umrah for religious purposes,” she said. KSA's Majlish E Shura Council President Abdullah arrives in Dhaka The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the recent development activities, reforms, and emerging role of Saudi Arabia on the global front under the visionary leadership of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the Prime Minister and Crown Prince His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman. Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad congratulated the prime minister on her reelection. He mentioned that Saudi Arabia was always with Bangladesh and it has a historical long lasting relationship. He lauded visionary leadership of the prime ninister for the unprecedented development of Bangladesh. KSA keen to enhance trade with Bangladesh in food, energy, logistics, and manufacturing sectors : FBCCI “Prime Minister’s leadership is exemplary and imitable,” Shakhwat Moon quoted President of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as saying. He also conveyed the greetings of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to the prime minister. Welcoming the greetings, Sheikh Hasina also greeted the Crown Prince. PM’s Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present. Read more: Saudi Arabia sends 400 tons of sacrificial meat for Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday held talks aimed at taking the bilateral relations to a strategic engagement. The two countries are seeking to open new areas of cooperation, particularly in strategic assets and advanced technologies. On arrival at the Tiger gate of the Prime Minister’s Office at 10:20am, Sheikh Hasina received President Macron. Read: France respects Bangladesh's sovereign policy independence: PM Hasina says after talks with President Macron The two leaders joined the delegation-level talks and restricted-level talks at Chameli hall and Shimul hall of the Prime Minister’s Office, respectively. A couple of bilateral instruments (agreements/MoUs) will be signed in presence of the two leaders at Karobi Hall. Then PM Hasina and President Macron will hold a joint press briefing there. Read: ‘France will be, again, on your side’ Macron will sign the visitor’s book before Hasina sees him off at the Tiger gate. Macron, the first French president visiting Bangladesh in 33 years, arrived here in Dhaka on Sunday evening from India after attending the G20 summit in New Delhi. The French leader is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 2pm today (on Monday). Francois Mitterrand was the last French president to visit Bangladesh on 22-24 February, 1990. Read: Talks between PM Hasina and French President Macron end Total trade between Bangladesh and France soared from 210M€ to 4.9 billion€ today with France being the 5th country for exports. French companies are now involved in various sectors including engineering, energy, aerospace and water sectors.

National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, has said the US would let the Indian government speak for its bilateral relations with Bangladesh.  “I think we’d let the Indian Government speak for its bilateral relations with Bangladesh… We have already made clear our desire to free and fair elections in Bangladesh,” Kirby said while responding to a question at a briefing on the upcoming state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Diplomatic sources say regional and the global situation will come up for discussion during the Indian Prime Minister’s meeting with US President Joe Biden. Read: Biden hosting Modi as US sees India as a pivotal force in Asia for decades to come At the media briefing, Kirby said it is “commonplace and consistent” for President Biden to raise concerns over human rights wherever he goes and whatever leaders he is speaking to. “Human rights are a foundational element of this administration’s foreign policy, and you can certainly expect that the President will – as he always does and as you can do with friends and partners like Prime Minister Modi in India – raise our concerns about that,” he said. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an official state visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner on June 22, according to the White House. Read: Success in achieving ‘Sonar Bangla’ and ‘Global Britain’ depend on how Bangladesh and UK choose to cooperate: Shahriar Alam The visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, said the US government. The visit will strengthen the two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to elevate strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy, and space, White House said. Read: Momen urges US to import more medicines from Bangladesh The leaders will discuss ways to further expand educational exchanges and people-to-people ties between India and the US, as well as their work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security.

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.  

The 2nd Foreign Office Consultations between Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran was held in Dhaka on Thursday. Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Ambassador Masud Bin Momen and First Deputy Minister (Political Affairs) of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani led their respective delegations to the Consultations. The Consultations reviewed the status of the bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries and discussed ways to enhance further cooperation and partnership in the field of commerce and trade, investment in the economic zones, human resource development, people-to-people ties, food security, energy, connectivity, Blue Economy, climate change cooperation and so forth. The two sides underscored the importance of the exchange of high-level visits and timely implementation of the agreements signed between the two countries. The Bangladesh side requested a deeper engagement of Iran to facilitate sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to their country of origin. They exchanged views on global issues and issues of regional cooperation as well. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation and partnership bilaterally and in various regional and multinational forums on matters of core concern. A roadmap for future cooperation agenda was also agreed on, including the convening of the next Joint Commission meeting in Tehran. Read more: Argentine foreign minister likely to visit Bangladesh next March: Momen

Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to elevate the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in the auspicious year of 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations. This was discussed when Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Honda Taro met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Sunday evening at the State guesthouse Padma. The Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister expressed the intent of Japan to add new depth and contents to the existing partnership and expected an official visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan later this year to elevate the ‘comprehensive partnership’ to a new height, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The State Minister recalled the historic visit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan in October 1973 which laid the foundation of today’s exemplary bilateral relations between the two countries. He also recalled the visit of the then Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe to Bangladesh in 2014, when the two countries elevated the bilateral relationship to ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ level. The State Minister also recalled the successful visits of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019 that have cemented deep-rooted friendly ties between the two countries. Highly praising Bangladesh’s spectacular socio-economic development under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, particularly Bangladesh’s graduation to a developing country, the Vice-Minister assured Japan’s continued support to the rapid socio-economic development of Bangladesh even after the country’s formal graduation in 2026. Also read: Bangladesh, India reiterate pledge to work towards citizen-centric consular mechanisms Both sides also discussed enhancing cooperation in various areas, including bilateral trade, Japanese FDI in Bangladesh, as well as people-to-people connectivity for mutual benefits. They also expressed the desire to enhance cooperation in international fora, including in the UN, particularly in the areas of SDGs, climate change, migration and UN reforms. The Vice-Minister also commended Bangladesh’s leadership role in UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. The Japanese Vice-Minister HONDA Taro highly appreciated Bangladesh’s role in maintaining regional stability by hosting the Rohingyas and assured to continue Japan’s support towards their safe, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation. The State Minister sought Japan’s active support for a durable political solution to the Rohingya crisis. The Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan visited Bangladesh from July 21-25 to strengthen Bangladesh-Japan bilateral relations. During the visit, he, along with JICA President Tanaka Akihiko, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen. Also read: PM Hasina invited to visit Japan They also visited the JICA-funded Matarbari Power Plant project, Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps and attended a memorial ceremony in honour of the Holey Artisan victims involved in the MRT project. State Minister for Foreign Affairs also hosted a dinner in honour of the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Honda Taro at the State guesthouse Padma, where among others, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko, Member of the Parliamentary standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kazi Nabil Ahmed, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Ito Naoki, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Executive Chairman of BIDA, ERD Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Secretary, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary, Managing Director of DMTCL were present.

Bangladesh and India have committed to taking the bilateral relations between the two countries to a higher level this year, mentioning that the year 2021 was a great year. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had a meeting with his Indian counterpart  S Jaishankar in Paris on Monday and discussed issues of bilateral interest. They particularly talked about the preparations for the next Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting. Jaishankar invited his Bangladesh counterpart to co-chair the next round of the JCC meeting during the first half of the year, according to the foreign ministry. The two ministers also stressed the need for concluding meetings of the relevant Joint Working Groups prior to the JCC meeting. The sixth meeting of the JCC between the two countries was held on September 29, 2020. Although Dhaka was scheduled to host the meeting, due to the COVID-19 situation the meeting was held on a virtual platform. Also read: Dhaka, Delhi eye greater engagements ahead of Hasina’s possible visit "Noted that 2021 was a great year for the relationship. Committed to taking it to an even higher level in 2022," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. He described the meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Momen "good" and expressed happiness to hold the meeting amid International Mother Language Day.  Momen reiterated the importance of resolving the Teesta water sharing issue while his Indian counterpart reaffirmed his government’s principled position on the matter. The two ministers also agreed to facilitate the ongoing discussions around the Kushiara river.  Momen urged India to remain engaged with the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, including in the latter’s capacity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The ministers also recalled the successful events held in 18 cities around the world to observe the "Maitri Dibosh" or Friendship Day on December 6 last year.  Momen is now visiting Paris to attend the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, scheduled to be held today (Tuesday).  Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as well as the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans are scheduled to attend the Ministerial Forum. The Forum is seen as an opportunity to showcase the European Union strategy for the region and develop tangible projects in this regard. It will bring together Foreign Ministers of EU Member States and some 30 countries in the Indo-Pacific region, representatives of European institutions and representatives of the main regional organisations. Also read: Shahriar meets Lekhi in Delhi Ministerial Forum’s objective The Indo-Pacific region is of increasing strategic importance to the European Union and its Member States. Its economic weight (it will soon account for 60% of global wealth) and demographic significance (three fifths of the world’s population), its increasing presence in current affairs and future geopolitical balances make it an essential space for Europeans. There are considerable economic exchanges between Europe and the Indo-Pacific, which contribute to the prosperity of the European Union. Through its Member States’ outermost regions in the Indian Ocean and overseas territories in the Pacific, the European Union is also part of this region, with which it has a closely-shared destiny. Translating Europe’s desire for increased commitment to the region into action is one of the priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This priority is in line with the publication of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which was endorsed by the European Council in October 2021. This strategy includes seven priority areas for action, on which the French Presidency wanted to initiate dialogue with Indo-Pacific partners: Sustainable and inclusive prosperity; Green transition; Ocean governance; Digital governance and partnerships; Connectivity; Security and defence and Human security. In this regard, the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will be an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the links between EU countries and those of the Indo-Pacific.

Visiting Vice President of the Maldives Faisal Naseem on Monday visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “It was enlightening to learn about the life and deeds of Bangabandhu, whose selfless efforts paved the way for the country to become an independent nation,” he said The Vice President of the Maldives signed the visitors’ book after placing a floral wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. Read:UNSDCF to contribute to more resilient recovery, achieving 2030 Agenda He was accompanied by Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and Maldives High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shiruzimath Sameer.

UK’s Minister for South Asia, the United Nations and the Commonwealth Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon on Thursday reinforced the UK’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations with Bangladesh as he left for London concluding his 3-day visit to Bangladesh. In a busy programme of meetings and visits to places, the Minister reinforced the UK’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Bangladesh across a wide range of issues including trade, security, climate change and the Rohingya crisis. Lord Ahmad, who is also the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, held meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, as well as with representatives of civil society organisations and the humanitarian sector. Also read: UK MoS calls on PM, finds common ground on issues In his meetings, Lord Ahmad discussed the path to Bangladesh’s landmark graduation from Least Developed Country Status, which is due in 2026.

Germany on Sunday said it is ready to cooperate with Bangladesh, particularly in the areas of climate change and energy sector. Newly-appointed German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim Troester said this when he paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban. After the meeting, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters. Read:Rohingyas a huge burden for Bangladesh: PM The German envoy mentioned that the two countries are passing 50 years of their diplomatic ties and their bilateral relations are excellent. Achim Troester appreciated Bangladesh’s overall development and the Bangladesh government’s mechanisms to tackle the Covid-19 situation successfully. The death rate is relatively lower compared to many other countries, he said. In reply, the Prime Minister highlighted various measures taken by her government to check the Corona pandemic and said some six crore people have so far been vaccinated in Bangladesh with single and double doses together. Read: Ensure fire safety in high-rise buildings: PM On the climate change issue, Hasina said Bangladesh has started the adaptation and mitigation programme with its own resources. Recalling with gratitude Germany's cooperation during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971, she said many German families adopted "war babies" after the Liberation War. Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus were present.