US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas had a meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at State Guesthouse Padma this morning (November 30, 2023) where they discussed ongoing developments in bilateral relations. “Ambassador Haas and FS Momen had a routine meeting to discuss ongoing developments in the bilateral relationship,” US Embassy in Dhaka said after the meeting. Also read: US Ambassador Peter Haas holding meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen The meeting began around 11 am and lasted for 30 minutes. Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States, Muhammad Imran, was also present at the meeting. Haas and Foreign Secretary Masud did not speak to the reporters waiting outside the venue. The US ambassador returned to Dhaka on Monday after a holiday. It is worth noting that the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC has said the political context of the US “Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally” has many reasons “to be alarmed.” “Politics is behind what is said about labor rights in the memorandum, and the US would try to use the political purpose in different ways,” said the embassy in a letter based on observation it made on the recently launched US initiative. Also read: US with us, we are with US: Bangladesh Foreign Minister The US Presidential Memorandum was rolled out on November 16. The United States said it will work to “hold accountable those who threaten, intimidate, attack union leaders, labor rights defenders, labor organizations – including using things like sanctions, trade penalties and visa restrictions” – all the tools in their kit. The “memorandum” is a signal for Bangladesh as the US may take any measure as described in it with the excuse of labor issues, the letter from Bangladesh embassy in Washington, seen by UNB, reads. “The memorandum may also have an impact on Bangladesh’s apparel sector, and it should be taken into cognizance with priority by the concerned stakeholders,” it said. Also read: Dhaka has “excellent” relations with US: Hasan Mahmud

Daily Sun Executive Editor Rezaul Karim Lotus and Bangla Vision Special Correspondent Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh have been elected President and General Secretary of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) respectively for the year 2023. The Financial Express Special Correspondent Mir Mostafizur Rahaman has been elected Vice President of the DCAB unopposed while ATN News Chief of Correspondents Ashiqur Rahman Apu elected Joint Secretary. Other unopposed elected office bearers are Treasurer Atiqur Rahman (Daily Jababdihi) and Office Secretary Morshed Hassib Hasan (Channel 24). Khurram Zaman (Barta24.com), Nafiza Dawla (Independent TV), Rabiul Haque (The Industry), Sheikh Shahariar Zaman (Bangla Tribune) and Touhidur Rahman (Banglanews24.com) have been elected EC members unopposed. Read: US Ambassador hosts reception for DCAB Chief Election Commissioner and Editor of United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Farid Hossain announced the result of the election at Jatiya Press Club on Thursday afternoon.  Read: FM, SM,diplomats attend DCAB iftar Two Election Commissioners -- Business Editor of the Daily Observer Nizamuddin Ahmed and Machranga TV Head of News Rejoanul Haq Raja -- were present. Earlier, Rezaul Karim Lotus presided over the annual general meeting (AGM) of the DCAB. Outgoing General Secretary of the DCAB AKM Moinuddin and Treasurer Ahasan Jewel presented their reports at the AGM-2022. 

The 32nd meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Affairs Ministry was held at the Sangsad Bhaban on Thursday. With the committee’s President Saber Hossain Chowdhury in the chair, Minister for the concerned ministry Md Shahabuddin and Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar, among others, were present at the meeting. Several issues including expectations and reality from the COP-27 conference, list of owners of hotels, motels, and resorts developed in Saint Martin Island and fix actions regarding the issue, recruitment, promotion, allegation on posting of Directorate of Forest, and System of Environment Accounting (SEEA) including Blue Economy and Poverty Environment Nexus were discussed at the meeting. The committee recommended the ministry present the names of owners who illegally developed hotels, motels and resorts on Saint Martin Island and visit the spot in person. Apart from this, instructions were given to take measures to build a mangrove forest in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar and send a letter to the Khulna deputy commissioner to hand over Sheikh Russell Eco-park to the Forest department. The committee asked the ministry to take initiative to elect a co-chairman from Bangladesh for the next UN-led climate change summit, COP-28, and carry out publicity campaign in this connection. A recommendation was also made to assist the statistics and information management division in providing information and data for the overall cooperation of the SEEA project. Read more: Bangladesh's role in COP27 negotiations highlighted

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has called on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and major maritime partners to strengthen their support for Bangladesh's initiatives towards a greener maritime industry in the country by 2050. "To transition to a greener maritime industry, Bangladesh, landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) require financial, technological, and knowledge support from the IMO and major maritime partners," the state minister said at the "50 Years of Bangladesh Maritime Industry: The Road to Decarbonization" organised by the Bangladesh High Commission in London during the 128th IMO Council held in IMO headquarters in the same city. "Bangladesh is currently partnering with the IMO in its SENSREC project phase-III for safe and environmentally responsible ship recycling; and has already contributed substantially to global decarbonisation by reducing, reusing, and recycling steel as the world's leading ship recycling nation," Khalid said. Read: Maritime connectivity: Maldives to establish direct shipping line with Chattogram Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the IMO Saida Muna Tasneem said, "The government under the pro-climate leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a vision and a mission for decarbonisation of the country's shipping sector by 2050 in line with initial IMO GHG reduction strategy." The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to IMO cited some studies including a UNCTAD report which showed evidence that Bangladesh alone, as a major ship recycling country, reduces around 2000kg CO2 per metric ton of steel recycled, contributing significantly to decarbonisation to the maritime industry. She called upon the IMO to initiate pilot projects for Bangladesh's maritime sector to introduce new technologies for greener shipping in the country's government and private shipping sectors. Read: Thailand eyes FTA; shipping routes with Bangladesh At the event, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim commended the Bangladesh government for improving the country's ship recycling, environmental and safety standards. He also assured the IMO's continuous support to Bangladesh in its transition to a greener shipping industry. Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways and the head of the Indian delegation to the IMO Council Sanjeev Ranjan called for the full restoration of water connectivity between Bangladesh and India, which would be a significant step forward towards decarbonisation. Bangladesh Commodore Md Nizamul Haq, director-general of the Department of Shipping, presented the keynote paper on Bangladesh's roadmap to achieving a greener shipping industry. Ambassador and Permanent Representation of Brazil to International Organizations in London Marco Farani, Alternate Permanent Representative of Japan to IMO Kohei Iwaki, Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the UK Samantha Pathirana and Deputy Director of IMO Tian Bing Huang participated in the panel discussions. Read: Bangladesh, Portugal to sign MoU to establish direct shipping links Following the event, a lunch reception was hosted by the Bangladesh delegation where Khalid announced Director General of IMSO Moin Ahmed as Bangladesh's candidate for secretary general at the IMO elections in 2023.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming Thursday paid a farewell call on opposition leader in parliament Raushon Ershad in the capital. The envoy paid the visit at a city hotel around 11am, Golam Masih, political secretary to the Jatiya Party leader, said. During the meeting, Li and Raushon discussed issues of bilateral interests.Raushon hoped that China would continue its cooperation with Bangladesh in the future. Read: Shahriar bids farewell to Li Jiming Rangpur-3 MP Rahgir Al Mahi Saad Ershad was also present at the meeting.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Thursday hoped that the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting to be held in Dhaka on November 24 would be a "successful" one with more avenues of cooperation and collaboration on all relevant fronts. Talking to a small group of reporters, he said Bangladesh is expecting minister-level delegation from 14 counties at the meeting. The State Minister said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is coming to Bangladesh mainly to attend the IORA meeting. Russia is a dialogue partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) while Bangladesh is the current chair of IORA. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister MUM Ali Sabry is also among the ministers who will join the IROA event. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is likely to be here on November 23 to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest apart from his key focus on the IORA meeting. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen recently hinted that considering the current situation, Bangladesh will explore the possibility of cooperation in the energy sector with Russia during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s planned official visit here later this month. Bangladesh will also discuss food grains supply and quick implementation of the projects that are in the pipeline including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The Russian Foreign Minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apart from his bilateral meeting with Momen. The visit will give us an opportunity to highlight our challenges and priority issues with Russia, Foreign Secretary Masud told reporters on Sunday. Masud also said Bangladesh wants Russia closer to Bangladesh to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis. Read more: Appropriate steps to be taken if diplomats cross boundary: Shahriar Alam The Foreign Secretary, however, said there are still many days and reminded that Russia remains in an intensive situation. "The invitation to take part in the IORA meeting for Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov has been received and the work is on as regards the possibility of this visit," an official at the Russian Embassy in Dhaka told UNB. Earlier, Foreign Minister Momen invited his Russian counterpart to attend the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting to be held in Dhaka on November 24. Momen met his Russian counterpart last month in Astana, Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the CICA Summit and apprised him of the current situation of the Rohingya. He stressed the need for stronger international support for resolving the Rohingya crisis. In August, Sergey Lavrov met with his counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin and other top Myanmar officials in Naypyitaw. The IORA Council of Ministers meeting, to be hosted by Bangladesh, will be preceded by the 24th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) to be held on November 22-23. The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States and 10 dialogue partners. Read more: Dhaka, Tokyo relations to be strengthened through PM-level talks: Shahriar Alam IORA member states are Australia, Bangladesh, Union of Comoros, French Republic, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Republic of Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The 23 member states of IORA and 10 dialogue partners are expected to join the ministerial and senior official meetings. Bangladesh assumed the position of the IORA Chair at the 21st IORA COM meeting in Dhaka held on 17 November 2021 and adopted the theme of “Harnessing the opportunities of the Indian Ocean sustainably for inclusive development.”

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened their first in-person meeting Monday since the U.S. president took office nearly two years ago, amid increasing economic and security tensions between the two superpowers as they compete for global influence. Xi and Biden greeted each other with a handshake at a luxury resort hotel in Indonesia, where they are attending the Group of 20 summit of large economies. As they began their conversation, Biden said he and Xi have a “responsibility” to show that their nations can “manage our differences” and identify areas of mutual cooperation. Xi added that he hoped the pair would “elevate the relationship” and that he was prepared to have a “candid and in-depth exchange of views” with Biden. Both men entered the highly anticipated meeting with bolstered political standing at home. Democrats triumphantly held onto control of the U.S. Senate, with a chance to boost their ranks by one in a runoff election in Georgia next month, while Xi was awarded a third five-year term in October by the Communist Party’s national congress, a break with tradition. “We have very little misunderstanding,” Biden told reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday, where he participated in a gathering of southeast Asian nations before leaving for Indonesia. “We just got to figure out where the red lines are and ... what are the most important things to each of us going into the next two years.” Biden added: “His circumstance has changed, to state the obvious, at home.” The president said of his own situation: “I know I’m coming in stronger.” White House aides have repeatedly sought to play down any notion of conflict between the two nations and have emphasized that they believe the two countries can work in tandem on shared challenges such as climate change and health security. But relations between the U.S. and China have grown more strained under successive American administrations, as economic, trade, human rights and security differences have come to the fore. Read: Biden, Xi coming into highly anticipated meeting with bolstered political standing at home As president, Biden has repeatedly taken China to task for human rights abuses against the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities, crackdowns on democracy activists in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices, military provocations against self-ruled Taiwan and differences over Russia’s prosecution of its war against Ukraine. Chinese officials have largely refrained from public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support such as supplying arms. Taiwan has emerged as one of the most contentious issues between Washington and Beijing. Multiple times in his presidency, Biden has said the U.S. would defend the island — which China has eyed for eventual unification — in case of a Beijing-led invasion. But administration officials have stressed each time that the U.S.’s “One China” policy has not changed. That policy recognizes the government in Beijing while allowing for informal relations and defense ties with Taipei, and its posture of “strategic ambiguity” over whether whether it would respond militarily if the were island attacked. Tensions flared even higher when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited Taiwan in August, prompting China to retaliate with military drills and the firing of ballistic missiles into nearby waters. The Biden administration also blocked exports of advanced computer chips to China last month — a national security move that bolsters U.S. competition against Beijing. Chinese officials quickly condemned the restrictions. And though the two men have held five phone or video calls during Biden’s presidency, White House officials say those encounters are no substitute for Biden being able to meet and size up Xi in person. That task is all the more important after Xi strengthened his grip on power through the party congress, as lower-level Chinese officials have been unable or unwilling to speak for their leader. Asked about the anticipated meeting, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said last week at a news briefing that China was looking for “win-win cooperation with the U.S.” while reiterating Beijing’s concerns about the U.S. stance on Taiwan. Read: Biden-Xi meeting: US trying to understand where China really stands “The U.S. needs to stop obscuring, hollowing out and distorting the One China principle, abide by the basic norms in international relations, including respecting other countries’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs,” he said. Xi has stayed close to home throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, where he has enforced a “zero-COVID” policy that has resulted in mass lockdowns that have roiled the global supply chains. He made his first trip outside China since start of the pandemic in September with a stop in Kazakhstan and then onto Uzbekistan to take part in the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization with Putin and other leaders of the Central Asian security group. White House officials and their Chinese counterparts have spent weeks negotiating out all of the details of the meeting, which is taking place at Xi’s hotel with translators providing simultaneous interpretation through headsets. U.S. officials were eager to see how Xi approaches the Biden sit-down after consolidating his position as the unquestioned leader of the state, saying they would wait to assess whether that made him more or less likely to seek out areas of cooperation with the U.S. Biden and Xi each brought small delegations into the discussion, with U.S. officials expecting that Xi would bring newly-elevated government officials to the sit-down and expressing hope that it could lead to more substantive engagements down the line. Before meeting with Xi, Biden first held a sit-down with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is hosting the G-20 summit, to announce a range of new development initiatives for the archipelago nation, including investments in climate, security, and education. Many of Biden’s conversations and engagements during his three-country tour — which took him to Egypt and Cambodia before he landed on the island of Bali on Sunday — were, by design, preparing him for his meeting with Xi and sending a signal that the U.S. would compete in areas where Xi has also worked to expand his country’s influence. Read: Biden to meet China's Xi on Monday for Taiwan, Russia talks In Phnom Penh, Biden sought to assert U.S. influence and commitment in a region where China has also been making inroads and where many nations feel allied with Beijing. He also sought input on what he should raise with Xi in conversations with leaders from Japan, South Korea and Australia. The two men have a history that dates to Biden’s time as vice president, when he embarked on a get-to-know-you mission with Xi, then China’s vice president, in travels that brought Xi to Washington and Biden through travels on the Tibetan plateau. The U.S. president has emphasized that he knows Xi well and he wants to use this in-person meeting to better understand where the two men stand. Biden was fond of tucking references to his conversations with Xi into his travels around the U.S. ahead of the midterm elections, using the Chinese leader’s preference for autocratic governance to make his own case to voters why democracy should prevail. The president’s view was somewhat validated on the global stage, as White House aides said several world leaders approached Biden during his time in Cambodia — where he was meeting with Asian allies to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to the region in the face of China’s assertive actions — to tell him they watched the outcome of the midterm elections closely and that the results were a triumph for democracy. U.S. officials said no joint communique was expected after the meeting with Xi and downplayed expectations for policy breakthroughs. The White House said Biden planned to hold a press after his meeting with Xi.

Bangladesh Army has asked the Myanmar Army to maintain more caution in conducting its operations along the common border areas. A three member delegation of Myanmar Army led by Lt Gen Phone Myat, Command Bureau of Special Operation visited Bangladesh Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed at the Army Headquarters on October 26, according to a press release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued on Thursday night. The delegation highlighted the ongoing security situation in Myanmar during the visit apart from exchanging courtesies. It said they are trying to keep their country’s peace and discipline under control while maintaining mutual friendship with Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had a brief discussion with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Kazakhstan's Astana Thursday. Momen informed Lavrov about the current situation of the Rohingya crisis and stressed the need for stronger international support for resolving the issue. Read: Bangladesh shows interest in contributing to Kyrgyzstan's pharmaceutical sector

Acting Australian High Commissioner Nardia Simpson on Thursday met Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader and discussed political, economic and different bilateral issues. The meeting was held at GM Quader’s Uttara residence at noon, said a Jatiya Party press release. “Various mutual issues, including social, economic and political, of the two friendly countries were discussed at the meeting,” it said. The party said Nardia Simpson highly praised the hospitality and friendly attitude of the people of Bangladesh. Read: EC out to arrange stage-managed election: GM Quader GM Quader hoped that the friendship between Australia and Bangladesh will be strengthened further.   Jatiya Party Chairman's Advisor and Jatiya Sanskritik Party convener Sherifa Quader and party chairman's Special Envoy and Advisor Masroor Mawla were present at the meeting.