Foreign Secretary
Rohingya repatriation: Bangladesh seeks more support from Singapore, ASEAN
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has sought more support from Singapore and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the early repatriation of Rohingya people from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar.
Masud made the call as Derek Loh, non-resident high commissioner of Singapore to Bangladesh, met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka Thursday.
The foreign secretary also exchanged greetings on the golden jubilee of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
He hoped that the multifaceted bilateral relations would grow further with expanded engagements in many areas of cooperation.
Masud also stressed kick-starting a formal negotiation process to sign a free trade agreement between the two countries.
Also read: Singapore to help Bangladesh to build ecosystem in e-commerce sector
India gets new Foreign Secretary
Veteran diplomat Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Sunday assumed charge as India's new Foreign Secretary.
A career diplomat with over 32 years of experience, Kwatra succeeded Harsh Vardhan Shringla who retired from service on Saturday. He was previously the Indian Ambassador to Nepal.
"Shri Vinay Kwatra assumed charge as Foreign Secretary today morning. #TeamMEA wishes Foreign Secretary Kwatra a productive and successful tenure ahead,” Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
Kwatra joined the country's coveted Indian Foreign Service way back in 1988. Before his Nepal assignment, he served as India's ambassador to France from August 2017 to February 2020.
The 59-year-old also worked in India's diplomatic missions in the US and China, and also served in the Prime Minister's Office, touted as a prestigious posting.
READ: New army chief SM Shafiuddin adorned with rank badge of General
Shringla was appointed the Indian Foreign Secretary in January 2020. He had earlier served as India's envoy to the US and Bangladesh.
Jaishankar leaves Dhaka after his "positive discussions" with leaders
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday left Dhaka for Bhutan after his "positive discussions" in Bangladesh.Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen saw him off at BAS Base Bangabandhu on Friday morning as he left for Paro by a special flight of Indian Air Force.Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami was also present.
Also read: Growing Dhaka-Delhi interactions good reflection of trust: JaishankarDuring his brief stay in Dhaka, Jaishankar met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gonobhaban on Thursday afternoon and invited her to visit India on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
No defence procurement from US now; signing GSOMIA to take time: FS
Bangladesh is not going to procure any arms from the United States at this moment but instead focusing on its economic development for the welfare of its people, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said.
“At this moment there’s no procurement (arms) issue. Our key aim is economic development,” he said, adding that they are still in the third stage of the five-stage process before signing the proposed General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the USA.
The foreign secretary said the US is interested to sign the GSOMIA for some “safeguards” on any possible advanced defence equipment procurement in the future but it will take time to complete the remaining stages.
He made it clear that there is no reason to think that Bangladesh is going for a big procurement from the US.
GSOMIA is seen as a "gateway" to do more on the security front including procurement of heavy-duty defence equipment and Bangladesh says it will take the final decision after analyzing national interests. “It’s not something that we need to procure equipment (defence) at this moment.”
Read: Bhasan Char needs more resources to fulfill Rohingyas’ expectations: Ambassador Naoki
While talking to a small group of journalists this week, the foreign secretary said the US side handed over the latest version of the GSOMIA draft to the Bangladesh side during US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland’s Dhaka visit last month.
Responding to a question, he said the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) is also under consideration but it is not Bangladesh’s priority right now.
The US says GSOMIA and ACSA are "essential" to enabling a closer defense relationship, expanding opportunities for defense trade, information sharing, and military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.
The GSOMIA is a foundational government-to-government bilateral agreement that will permit greater collaboration and sharing of classified military information in the form of intelligence and classified information on US defense equipment.
GSOMIA is a reciprocal, legally binding agreement that ensures governments understand and commit to protect classified military information at an equivalent level of security, according to US documents.
Foreign Secretary Masud, However, said Bangladesh wants to diversify sourcing different kinds of equipment and defence related materials as part of the “Forces Goal-2030.”
Read: Difficult to adjust ties with Russia: FS
Obviously, Bangladesh will think of procuring equipment from the US as per Bangladesh’s requirement in the future, he added.
Bangladesh finds good performance of the used equipment (boats) already given by the US to Bangladesh Coastguard and there was discussion between the two sides to get such boats in the future.
Masud recently visited the United States and accompanied Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on April 4.
The foreign secretary also led the Bangladesh delegation at the 8th Bangladesh-US Security Dialogue held in Washington.
India's envoy in Nepal named foreign secretary
India on Monday named its envoy in Nepal as the country's next foreign secretary.
Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, a career diplomat with over 32 years of experience, will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla who is due to retire this month-end, according to an Indian government notification.
Also read: Nepal-India cross-border railway to resume service
Kwatra joined the country's coveted Indian Foreign Service way back in 1988. Before his Nepal assignment, he served as India's ambassador to France from August 2017 to February 2020.
The 59-year-old also worked in India's diplomatic missions in the US and China, and also served in the Prime Minister's Office, touted as a prestigious posting.
Also read: India's largest pvt home finance firm announces historic merger
Shringla was appointed the Indian Foreign Secretary in January 2020.
Dhaka keen to build comprehensive partnership with Washington: FS
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh has high expectations from the Biden Administration in terms of building a “comprehensive partnership” as the two countries want to do more to take the relations to the next level.
“This is what we’ve told our US colleagues today. Bangladesh will remain keen in this regard, with the view to work closely with the US in our journey together towards peace and prosperity,” he told reporters at a joint briefing at state guesthouse Padma after the 8th Partnership Dialogue between the two countries.
US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, who led the US side, said they have already a “very strong” 50 years of partnership and the two countries can do even more together.
Also read: Partnership Dialogue: US calls sanctions on Rab a complicated issue
She said they can do more in the area of growing business and trade, in terms of technology infrastructure, resilience of two economies, in the area of security.
Nuland said they are really pleased to be back in town to “energize and deepen” their already very strong partnership and termed Sunday’s discussion just the “appetizer” on a “very big feast” that we are going to have this year with a number of engagements.
Masud said this year’s Partnership Dialogue is especially significant for two reasons - firstly, the two countries will be soon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
And secondly, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic barred them from holding the regular dialogue mechanisms in the last two years.
The foreign secretary said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be holding a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 4 in Washington.
Govt will take necessary steps on financial transactions involving Russian projects: Foreign Secy
The government will take necessary steps, specifically on financial transactions involving Russian projects though, as of now, it seems okay, the foreign secretary has said.
"Things depend on the situation. The situation may turn complicated if there are more sanctions on (Russian) banks or SWIFT, or the big companies,” Masud Bin Momen told reporters at the foreign ministry on Friday.
The US, UK, European Union and G7 countries already imposed harsh sanctions against many Russian banks and oligarchs since Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine.
Global payments messaging network SWIFT, meanwhile, asked Bangladesh's banks to suspend transactions with seven Russian lenders.
Asked whether the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project will be affected, Masud Momen said it is not clear yet as the sanctions now see initial days.
Read:Trying to shift stranded sailors from Ukraine to Romania, says Foreign Secy
“We have discussed the impacts. We held meeting with the stakeholders Thursday. We will hold more meetings to assess the impacts,” he said.
The FS said the government is also assessing the possible impacts on the exports and imports, the projects where Russia is involved.
“We will soon determine the necessary measures. At this moment, we are not facing any problem. Everything will depend on the situation in the coming days.”
Masud said the Russian side is still trying to ascertain who is responsible for the rocket attack on Bangladeshi ship 'Banglar Samriddhi' stranded at a port in war-torn Ukraine.
“They have also expressed their deep condolences over the death of a Bangladeshi sailor in the attack. They claimed that they didn't do it," he said.
However, it is very difficult to ascertain who is doing what from where and which side in a ‘Fog of War’, he added.
But the Russian side has assured Bangladesh of informing Dhaka on what exactly happened.
Masud also said efforts are underway to bring 28 crew of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" to Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine.
Asked whether there is any communication with the Ukrainian side, he said Ukraine's priorities are different now.
"They are now more engaged in saving the territory. So it may not be possible for them to answer all our questions.”
Masud said around 600 Bangladeshis safely left Ukraine and are now in Poland while there are 100 Bangladeshis staying in Ukraine.
Read:Bangladeshi crew in Ukraine: Govt trying to evacuate them to Poland, says Shahriar
"However, many of them may have families in Ukraine or have Ukrainian spouses. So, they may not be at risk," he added.
There are some pockets where a few Indians are staying, Bangladesh came to know.
Bangladesh has also requested the Indian Mission in Ukraine to help the two or four Bangladeshis if they are there, said the foreign secretary.
Stating that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is a matter of concern for the whole world, he said fuel prices have increased the most in ten years in the last few days.
“There will be huge pressure on oil, gas and fuel. Inflation is going on the rise in many European countries at the moment. So everyone is still worried about it," he said, adding that war is not desirable for anyone.
Dhaka seeks Delhi's cooperation to resolve pending issues
Bangladesh has sought India’s cooperation in resolving the outstanding issues, especially early completion of water sharing agreement of the common rivers including Teesta.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen raised this during his meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in New Delhi on Thursday.
Masud enumerated that India is the closest and most important neighbour of Bangladesh and assured his Indian counterpart that the government of Bangladesh is committed to sustaining the momentum of having a friendly relation with India which is based on mutual trust and respect.
He urged his Indian counterpart to extend necessary support to facilitate the early, safe, secure and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar.
Foreign secretary Shringla thanked his counterpart Masud for visiting him in New Delhi and emphasized on the regular interactions at the Foreign Secretary level.
He reiterated India’s commitment in working together to support each other in various platforms including the United Nations.
Read: Govt appoints GR firm “Nelson Mullins” to "deepen" Dhaka-Washington ties
Shringla noted that Bangladesh Mission in Chennai would further facilitate the relations between the two countries especially with the southern states of India.
He also emphasized on the joint celebration of events of bilateral significance as the celebrations of Moitri Dibosh (Friendship Day) in select cities across the globe could successfully project the historic relations between the two countries.
Shringla reiterated the commitment of the Government of India in fast tracking of various projects undertaken under the Indian Line of Credit in Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Masud requested the Indian Foreign Secretary to extend his support in completing Shadhinota Sharak and hand over the historic building at 8 Theatre Road, which served as the headquarters of the first Bangladesh Government in 1971, as Bangladesh is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of her independence.
Both the foreign secretaries emphasized on going back to normalcy as COVID situation improved satisfactorily.
Foreign diplomats better not comment on Bangladesh's election, says foreign secretary
Bangladesh does not want its foreign friends make comment on its domestic affairs including on election issues.
It, however, sees nothing wrong in having interest about Bangladesh affairs by development partners, the foreign secretary said.
Bangladesh also wants to draw a line between showing interest in Dhaka's affairs and giving “lecture” as the country sees comments from diplomats on election issues.
Read: US donates another 6.2m Covid jabs to Bangladesh
“Naturally, since they’re all our development partners, they might have interest,” said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, noting that having interest and giving lecture are not the same thing.
While responding to questions from reporters recently, the foreign secretary said the government will definitely warn them (foreign diplomats) if they cross the limit.
Recently, a number of diplomats made comments on impending national elections and in some cases, the diplomats responded only when reporters sought comments.
“If you keep seeking comments from foreigners on our own elections, they’ll feel encouraged to make comments,” said the FS adding that the diplomats are making comments as reporters are seeking their comments.
Masud Momen said they remain in touch with the diplomats based in Dhaka constantly and they sit with them on various issues.
Read:Will take ties with Dhaka to even higher level: Jaishankar
“We’ll never want see any foreign country’s interference in our domestic affairs,” he added. “We all need to be more tolerant and we need to behave in such a way so that we can resolve those issues internally, if there is any problem, before we talk to the foreigners.”
One of the diplomats - British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson – has recently said with international partners, they support the “plural and transparent” democracy in Bangladesh provided in the Constitution, including urging a “fair and credible” process for the elections due at the end of 2023.
Foreign Secretary to visit India soon
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen is scheduled to visit India later this month to attend a number of events in Chennai and New Delhi.
The Foreign Secretary will first go to Chennai on February 23 from where he will head towards New Delhi.
In Chennai, Masud Momen will formally inaugurate the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, a diplomatic source said.
The Foreign Secretary is likely to hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan Shringla on February 24.
In December last year, Indian Foreign Secretary Shringla visited Bangladesh and said India will cooperate increasingly with Bangladesh noting that the next fifty years of the two countries' shared journey will bring even greater satisfaction for both sides.