Bangladesh's partnership with countries in the Indian Ocean will become stronger through hosting the Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Dhaka on May 12-13, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday. Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun, minister and state minister-level delegation from 25 countries including Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend the conference. Briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Momen also said around 150 foreign guests will participate in the conference including representatives from D8, SAARC and BIMSTEC. The participating ministers will also visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay respect to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh maintains good relations with Mauritius and the relations will further strengthen through the visit of the country's president. Responding to a question, Dr Momen said Myanmar was not invited to the conference. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference at a Dhaka hotel on May 12. The Prime Minister will also host a dinner in honour of the guests. The 6th edition of the conference is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh. With the theme of “Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future”, the conference would bring together a luminary gathering of key stakeholders to chart the roadmap for strengthening the Indian Ocean Region. External Affairs Minister of India Dr S. Jaishankar will deliver the keynote address of the evening alongside special addresses by the Deputy Secretary of State of USA Wendy Sherman and Vice President of Maldives Faisal Naseem. The inaugural session will also be graced by the presence of Foreign Minister Dr Momen and Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi. The Foreign Minister of Singapore (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan) will be represented by Dr Maliki Osman, Minister in the Prime Ministers' Office and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. Official delegations led by Heads of State/Government, Deputy Heads, Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Senior Officials from 27 countries and multilateral organisations will address the conference on May 13. The conference will also bring together a gathering of over 300 social and corporate leaders, policy practitioners, scholars, professionals and media personnel from over 40 countries. The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) was started in 2016 and in the last six years it has emerged as the "flagship consultative forum" for countries in the region on regional affairs. The conference endeavours to bring critical states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). The first edition of the conference was held in Singapore in 2016. It was attended by over 300 delegates from 22 countries including ministers, political leaders, diplomats, strategic thinkers, academics, and media.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the D-8 countries collectively have a great potential to emerge as a powerful economic block. She made the remarks when Secretary General of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Isiaka Abdul Qadir Imam met her at Ganobhaban here. PM’s Press Secretary Ihasanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. “The D-8 countries collectively have a great potential to emerge as a powerful economic block,” the PM was quoted as saying. During the meeting, both the PM and the D-8 Secretary General reiterated the need for materializing preferential trade agreements to harness the immense potential for promoting trade among the member states. They emphasized the need for exploring the thrust sector of D-8 like trade, economy, commerce, transport, agriculture, tourism, education and energy. Hasina expressed satisfaction at the successful hosting of 10th D-8 Summit, held virtually in Dhaka in April 2021 amid the global pandemic. She iterated Bangladesh’s full commitment in steering the important events of D-8 under Bangladesh’s chairmanship in the coming days. The PM congratulated him on his assumption as the secretary general of D-8. She hoped that his leadership would add further dynamism in introducing new ideas for innovative partnership among D-8 member countries. Hasina apprised him of the success achieved in the agriculture sector of Bangladesh saying that the researchers here developed the drought- and saline-tolerant variants of rice and Bangladesh can share its experiences with D-8 countries in the agriculture sector. The D-8 secretary general appreciated Bangladesh’s progress in the ICT sector. He expressed keen interest in Bangladesh's specialised economic zones. PM’s Ambassador-at–large Mohammad Ziauddin and PM’s Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus were present at the meeting. Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam assumed the position of the Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) on 01 January 2022. The D-8 member countries are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.