Russia-Ukraine war
China says no weapons exports to parties in Ukraine conflict
China's foreign minister on Friday said the country would not sell weapons to parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine and would regulate the export of items with dual civilian and military use.
Qin Gang was responding to concerns from the U.S. and others that China was considering providing military assistance to Russia, which Beijing has backed politically and rhetorically in the conflict while formally saying it remains neutral.
Qin reiterated China’s willingness to help facilitate negotiations to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict and said all parties should remain “objective and calm.”
Speaking at a news conference with his visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, Qin also blamed Taiwan’s government for heightened regional tensions after Beijing held large-scale military drills in an attempt to intimidate the island it claims as its own territory.
On both Ukraine and Taiwan, Qin articulated well-worn defenses of Chinese policies that underscore Beijing's rejection of criticisms from the West, particularly the U.S. Under ardently nationalist leader Xi Jinping, China has been sharpening its rhetoric, particularly on the issue of Taiwan, which split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
“Regarding the export of military items, China adopts a prudent and responsible attitude," Qin said.
"China will not provide weapons to relevant parties of the conflict, and manage and control the exports of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations,” he added.
In her remarks, Baerbock said that as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China bore a special responsibility for helping end the conflict.
She also referred to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, through which much of the world's international trade passes, and said a conflict in the area would be a global disaster.
China’s ruling Communist Party sent warships and fighter planes near Taiwan last weekend in retaliation for a meeting between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen.
China insists that self-governing Taiwan submit to its rule, either peacefully or by force, and Qin said the pursuit of independence by Taiwan's government and its foreign supporters — a veiled reference to chief ally the United States — were the reason for the tensions.
Apparently rejecting Baerbock's concerns, Qin said Taiwan was “China's internal affair and bore no outside interference."
“Taiwan independence and peace can not co-exist,” he said.
While Germany has strongly backed Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, Beijing has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking the conflict, refused to criticize Moscow's actions and criticized economic sanctions against President Vladimir Putin's regime.
“Territory is indivisible, and security is equally indivisible," Qin said. “Without recognition of the security interests of a particular party, crises and conflicts are inevitable.”
"China is willing to continue to work for peace, and hopes that all parties involved in the crisis will remain objective and calm, and make constructive efforts to resolve the crisis through negotiations,” he added.
‘Eat chicken feet’: Egypt’s govt recommendation faces vehement criticism from citizens
A recommendation from Egypt’s government – to eat chicken feet – has come under vehement criticism from the country’s citizens.
Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, is currently experiencing a record currency crisis and the highest inflation in five years, which has made food so costly that many Egyptians are no longer able to purchase chicken, a staple item.
The most recent dietary advice from the state recommended preparing chicken feet, a protein-rich part of the bird that is often kept for dogs and cats, according to a BBC report published yesterday.
Egypt is one of the countries suffering the most from skyrocketing inflation, which surpassed 30 percent in March.
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Cooking oil and cheese, which were once reasonable necessities for many, have become unaffordable luxuries. Some product prices have doubled or tripled within a matter of months.
The BBC report quoted Wedad, a mother of three in her 60s, as saying: “I eat meat once a month, or I don’t buy it at all. I buy chicken once a week.”
Egypt is under a lot of strain in part because it relies significantly on imported food rather than homegrown agriculture to support its over 100 million-strong population.
Even the grain used to feed the chicken is imported.
Read More: Why another high inflation report may not cause Fed to hike
In comparison to the US dollar, the Egyptian pound lost half of its value over the course of a year. As the government depreciated the currency once more in January, the price of imports such as grain rose dramatically.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi frequently attributes his country's present economic troubles on the chaos that preceded the 2011 Egyptian revolt and fast population growth. In addition, he mentions the epidemic that followed the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine had a devastating effect on Egyptian economy. Egypt is the second largest wheat importer in the world, and the two countries were its principal suppliers. As a result of the disruption of exports due to the war, price of wheat and bread skyrocketed.
Russian and Ukrainian tourists used to visit Egypt in droves; the tourism industry has also suffered financial losses. Tourism, which used to account for around 5% of Egypt’s GDP, has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read More: In the EU’s inflation crisis, the humble egg takes the cake
Egypt has requested a bailout from the International Monetary Fund four times in the previous six years due to its economic difficulties. These debts, which account for 90% of GDP, consume nearly half of the state’s revenues.
Gulf nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have purchased state assets and are aiding Egypt, but they have also toughened their requirements for future investments.
Utilise export opportunities emerging due to Russia-Ukraine war: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (March 20, 2023) put emphasis on formulating new long term export policy for Bangladesh, considering graduation to a developing country from LDC after 2026.
“After 2026, while we will graduate to a developing country from LDC, we will get some opportunities… We have to utilise those opportunities to make our economy stronger and develop the country further,” she said.
The prime minister said this while speaking at the 11th meeting of the National Committee on Export, at her official residence Ganabhaban.
She mentioned that after graduating to a developing nation, the next aim will be to become a developed one.
Read More: Canada to increase potash exports to Bangladesh to boost food production, says country’s trade ministry
Sheikh Hasina also asked the concerned to utilise opportunities regarding enhancing Bangladesh’s export items that have emerged due to Russia-Ukraine war.
She said that due to Russia-Ukraine was, there is an opportunity for Bangladesh to create new markets with its own products.
In this regard, she said that many countries have already shown interest to import food items from Bangladesh.
“We could export food items after fulfilling local demands. We can take initiatives for that,” she said.
Read More: Simplified policy, product diversification could boost exports to UK over $12 billion by 2029: Study says
She said that immense opportunities could be created through establishing food processing industries in the country and export those items.
The PM said that the government has given importance to the export sector.
“After assuming office, we have taken steps to formulate long term export policies instead of policies on one-year basis. To sustain achievements, there is no alternative to long term strategy,” she said.
She said that the government has formulated export policy until 2024 (2021-2024).
Read More: Apparel export to EU up 14.3% during July-February of FY23
“…But what will we do after that? In the meantime, we are graduating to a developing country. I think this is the right time to consider what we will do in the coming days or how we will advance,” she said.
She put emphasis on setting the next moves for economy, keeping in mind the current economic turmoil across the globe.
“We have to find new markets across the globe. We have to diversify our products, we have to include new items in our export basket,” she said.
The PM said that the Awami League government has given utmost importance to the private sector and it opened every sector to entrepreneurs as it is not possible for the government alone to develop the country.
Read More: 'India a great potential market for Bangladesh's RMG exports'
For the development of the export sector, she said, a strategy needs to be adopted and products have to be identified.
“For that we have formulated a prospective plan – to turn the country into a developed one by 2041,” she said.
The PM also mentioned ICT and digital devices, RMG, pharmaceuticals, light and medium weight industries, motor vehicles and electronic motor vehicles, while talking about diversifying products.
She said that the government is preparing 100 economic zones with investment from home and abroad.
Read More: Bangladesh export income rises despite bad global economy
“Bangladesh has been able to attract foreign investments,” PM Hasina said.
China leader Xi to visit Moscow in show of support for Putin
China says President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin on Friday also announced the visit, saying it will take place “at the invitation of Vladimir Putin.”
Xi and Putin will discuss “issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China,” as well as exchange views “in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The two leaders will also sign “important bilateral documents,” the statement read.
China has declared a “no-limits” friendship with Russia and refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion — even while declaring that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries be respected.
Beijing has also condemned Western sanctions and accused NATO and the United States of provoking Russia.
Putin invited Xi to visit Russia during a video conference call the two held in late December. The visit, Putin said, could “demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties” and “become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.”
In a rare phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Thursday, China’s foreign minister said Beijing is concerned about the year-old grinding conflict with Russia spinning out of control and urged talks on a political solution with Moscow.
Qin Gang told Dmytro Kuleba that China has “always upheld an objective and fair stance on the Ukraine issue, has committed itself to promoting peace and advancing negotiations and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
Kuleba later tweeted that he and Qin “discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity.”
“I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s)’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine,” wrote Kuleba, who spoke the same day with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
60-day extension of wartime grain deal acceptable: Russia
A Russian delegation at talks with senior U.N. officials said Monday that Moscow is ready to accept an extension to a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices amid the war in Ukraine — but only for 60 days as the Kremlin holds out for changes to how the arrangement is working.
The United Nations said it “notes” the Russian announcement and reaffirmed its support for the agreement struck in July as “part of the global response to the most severe cost-of-living crisis in a generation.”
The U.N. and Turkey brokered the deal between the warring countries that allows Ukraine — one of the world’s key breadbaskets — to ship food and fertilizer from three of its Black Sea ports.
The 120-day agreement was renewed last November. That extension expires on Saturday, and another 120-day extension was on the table.
Ukraine charged that the Russian proposal to extend it only for 60 days goes against the deal, although the language of the agreement allows the parties to roll it over or “modify” it — as Russia did Monday.
The noncommittal U.N. response betrayed the world body’s inability to force hands. Russia can largely do what it wants to abide by or reject the deal, leaving the issue dangling for countries in the developing world, which benefit most.
“The U.N. Secretary-General has confirmed that the U.N. will do everything possible to preserve the integrity of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and ensure its continuity,” a U.N. statement said. It stressed that the deal had allowed the export of 24 million tons of grain and more than 1,600 trips by vessels through the Black Sea — with more than half the exports destined for developing countries.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price emphasized the need to extend the deal, describing it as a “critical instrument at a critical time.”
Moscow has voiced frustration that a parallel agreement has failed to fully open the door to Russian exports of grain and fertilizer through the Black Sea. Still, overall Russian wheat shipments were at or near record highs in November, December and January, increasing 24% over the same three months a year earlier, according to financial data provider Refinitiv.
“The comprehensive and frank conversation has once again confirmed that while the commercial export of Ukrainian products is carried out at a steady pace, bringing considerable profits to Kiev, restrictions on the Russian agricultural exporters are still in place,” the Russian delegation said in a statement.
“The sanctions exemptions for food and fertilizers announced by Washington, Brussels and London are essentially inactive,” it claimed.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the organization has been working to facilitate Russian agricultural exports, noting that while Russian food and fertilizer haven’t been sanctioned, private companies have been cautious to deal with them and “that’s why we’ve asked for letters of comfort from certain governments.”As part of the arrangement, Moscow wants Russian ammonia to be fed through a pipeline across Ukraine to Black Sea ports for possible export. Russian officials also say banking restrictions and high insurance costs have hurt their hopes of exporting fertilizer.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov claimed that “Russia’s position to extend the deal only for 60 days contradicts the document” envisaging an extension of at least 120 days and said Kyiv was awaiting the official positions of the U.N. and Turkey.
Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, and Martin Griffiths, head of the U.N. humanitarian agency, hosted a team led by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin at U.N. offices in Geneva.
Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia where millions don’t have enough to eat. Russia was also the world’s top fertilizer exporter before the war.
The loss of those supplies, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, drove global food prices higher and fueled concerns of a hunger crisis in poorer countries.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative involves seaborne checks of cargo by U.N., Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials to ensure that only foodstuffs — not weapons — are being transported.
The amount of grain leaving Ukraine has dropped even as the deal works to keep food flowing. Inspections of ships under the grain initiative have fallen sharply since they got rolling in earnest in September, and vessels have been backed up.
Western critics accuse Russia of dragging its heels on inspections. Moscow denies that.Though the grain deal helped stabilize global food prices, there are still concerns about the impact on prices of possible trade restrictions and weather, especially heat waves, said Michael Puma, director of Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research whose research focuses on global food security.“Big picture, we’re pretty fortunate that the weather conditions have allowed … high levels of production across many of the grains,” he said.
On the front lines in Ukraine, the eastern city of Bakhmut remained the site of fierce fighting, with Ukrainian forces denying Russian forces the prize of its capture after six months of attrition.
In a video address late Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that “it’s very tough in the east, very painful,” adding that “we need to destroy the enemy’s military might, and we will.”
Ukraine’s ground forces chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi also noted that “the situation around Bakhmut remains difficult,” with assault units from Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor ”advancing from several directions, trying to break through the defenses of our troops and advance to the central districts of the city.”
Ukraine’s presidential office said that four civilians were killed by the latest shelling, including two in the southern Mykolaiv region. Three more, including a 7-year-old child, were wounded.On Monday, one civilian was killed in Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, where a school building was destroyed, and five others were wounded by Russian shelling of the village of Kostiantynivka. Another person died in shelling of Znob-Novhorodske in the northern Sumy region that also wounded four people.
Russian officials accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the town of Volnovakha in the Russia-controlled part of the Donetsk region that killed two civilians and wounded two others on Monday.
Find ways to bring commodity prices to a normal level: PM tells business leaders
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (March 11, 2023) asked the business community leaders to find ways to bring commodity prices to a normal level.
“Considering public suffering, the business community leaders will have to find ways to bring prices of essentials to a normal level. Otherwise, you will lose your markets,” she said.
The premier said this while inaugurating Bangladesh Business Summit-2023 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), in partnership with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce Ministry and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), is arranging the three-day summit.
Read More: If people don’t buy in excess, there will be no price hike of essentials ahead of Ramadan: Tipu Munshi
Sheikh Hasina said people are going through a very difficult time due to high prices of essentials and inflationary pressure.
She said developing countries like Bangladesh as well as developed countries are facing severe problems due to price hike of essentials and high inflation caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, economic sanctions and counter-sanctions following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ministers from seven countries including the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China, Bhutan and the United Arab Emirates, CEOs of 12 multinational companies, and more than 200 foreign investors and business leaders from 17 countries are participating in the business summit.
Read more: 'Business Summit to help brand Bangladesh's identity, manufacturing prowess to foreign investors'
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, PM's Private Industry and Investment Affairs Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, Saudi Arabian Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-kassabi, Bhutanese Minister of Commerce and Employment Karma Dorjia and Deputy Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Xiangchen Zhang spoke at the opening function, while FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin delivered the welcome speech.
The Business Summit is being organized as a part of the FBCCI's 50th founding anniversary celebrations with the aim of creating new opportunities for trade and investment by showcasing the country's economic potential before a global audience.
The Business Summit will showcase dynamic investment opportunities and improvements to the local business climate while also giving insights into investment priorities of global investors to improve policymaking.
Read more: PM to inaugurate Bangladesh Business Summit on Saturday
UN appeals for $5.6 billion for millions affected by Russia-Ukraine war
Almost a year since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UN has appealed for $5.6 billion to help millions of people affected inside the war-torn country and beyond.
The situation for many in Ukraine remains desperate, amid “relentless” shelling of civilian targets and infrastructure, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, told the media Wednesday in Geneva.
Humanitarian funding is needed to continue supporting lifesaving aid convoy deliveries to communities on the front line, “into areas of great danger and difficulty and priority needs,” said Griffiths, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
To continue doing the lifesaving work, the OCHA chief appealed for $3.9 billion to help 11.1 million of the 18 million people who need humanitarian assistance inside Ukraine. Officially called the Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine, it brings together more than 650 partners, the majority of them Ukrainian organisations.
In parallel with the OCHA appeal, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is also seeking $1.7 billion to help Ukrainian refugees in 10 host countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said: “I think we’re becoming a little bit used to this; we shouldn’t, because it’s quite appalling what the Russian invasion is doing to the country,” he said.
“Refugees from the conflict have every intention of returning to Ukraine at some point. But until that happens, Tuesday’s Refugee Response Plan appeal will continue to help millions of refugees and hundreds of UN partners on the ground.”
In particular, funding will support health and nutrition services, education, livelihoods and temporary protection, the high commissioner said.
Read more: War's longest battle exacts high price in 'heart of Ukraine'
“The Ukraine refugee crisis – displacement crisis – remains the largest in the world, clearly,” he added. “Almost six million estimated internally displaced people. Plus, you know, the refugees in Europe who have registered for temporary protection are close to five million now, 4.8 million. But we know that there's many more that have not.”
Amid reports that violence is escalating in the east, the latest UN estimates indicated that more than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine in the last year, with 12,000 injured. “This is almost certainly a low estimate,” Griffiths said.
Asked about UN-led efforts to secure an extension of a deal to delivery of fertilisers and foodstuffs from Ukraine and Russia to the many countries that need them all over the world, the aid official said: “The Global South and international food security needs that operation to continue.”
More than 21.3 million tonnes of corn, wheat, oil and other comestibles have been shipped across the Black Sea, as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which should be allowed to continue, the UN emergency relief coordinator added. “We don’t need it stopped in the middle of March and I hope – I hope and believe, actually – that it will be extended. And that is because it is an obvious case for international humanitarian security.”
Inside Ukraine, the UN migration agency, IOM, said the scale of destruction in the south and east has been massive – so much so, that one senior UN humanitarian worker with the agency told UN News that some towns “don’t even exist anymore.”
“We see heavy fighting on both sides (of the contact line),” said IOM Area Manager Johannes Fromholt, who described how some locations were “filled with military personnel, military equipment.”
Amid an uptick in violence in the east, Fromholt said some civilians have managed to flee from Donetsk oblast to the more central town of Znamyanka, where IOM is helping to repair collective shelters for new arrivals.
Read more: Impact of Russia-Ukraine War on Asia’s climate goals
For those unable to leave, the situation remains dire.
“In frontline locations (the conflict is) actually getting worse, with increased fighting on a day-to-day basis,” the IOM worker said. “So, people simply have to stay down in the basements into shelters where of course, it’s cold. There’s no electricity in these frontline locations.”
‘World Bank should support countries hit hard by Covid-19, Russia-Ukraine war, climate change’
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (January 23, 2023) urged the World Bank and other international organizations to strengthen their support for countries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change.
The PM said this when World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Axel van Trotsenburg, paid a courtesy call on her at her office this morning.
PM’s speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting.
Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh had achieved an impressive 8-plus percent GDP growth before Covid-19 broke out, but it declined due to the pandemic. When Bangladesh was regaining the growth momentum, it was hit hard again by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Read more: World Bank: Recession a looming threat for global economy
Developing countries like Bangladesh are dealing with the challenges brought about the economic fallout, including soaring food and fuel prices, she said.
The PM focused on her government’s measures and endeavours to fight the climate change, including projects undertaken with financing from Climate Trust Fund, to mitigate the adverse impacts by creating green-belt, afforestation, sustainable housing and livelihood.
She said developed countries shares responsibility for climate change but unfortunately, they are not complying with their commitments to assist the climate vulnerable countries.
BANGLADESH MADE INCREDIBLE DEVELOPMENT: WB MANAGING DIRECTOR
The World Bank Managing Director praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for Bangladesh’s incredible development journey under her leadership.
The per capita income in Bangladesh was only some US $50 in 1972, which is now US $2824, he added.
Read more: World Bank okays $250m for Bangladesh for better environmental management, green investments
Talking about the current context, Axel van Trotsenburg said that developing countries like Bangladesh need to create employment opportunities for youths to face the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.
Employment generation is also needed for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he added.
He said the World Bank has been assisting Bangladesh since 1972 and will continue to stand beside the country.
“I’ve come here to strengthen the World Bank’s partnership with Bangladesh,” said the WB senior official.
Read More: World Bank a key partner of Bangladesh’s economic growth: Finance Minister
About the development of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said the country has gained fast development in the last 14 years thanks to the continuation of political stability, the government’s tireless efforts to implement its political visions and its desire to work for the people.
PM’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammd Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, and Finance Senior Secretary Fatima Yasmin were present at the meeting.
France, Germany renew alliance strained amid war in Ukraine
France and Germany are seeking to overcome differences laid bare by Russia's war in Ukraine and shore up their alliance with a day of ceremonies and talks Sunday on Europe’s security, energy and other challenges.
Germany’s entire Cabinet is in Paris for joint meetings, and 300 lawmakers from both countries are coming together at the Sorbonne University to mark 60 years since a landmark treaty sealed a bond between the longtime enemies that underpins today’s European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will oversee two rounds of talks at the Elysee Palace, focusing first on energy and economic policy, and then on defense.
Read more: German caution on Ukraine arms rooted in political culture
A top priority is working out Europe’s response to the subsidies for U.S. electric car makers and other businesses in the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, according to senior French and German officials.
France wants Europe to counter what it considers an unfair move by Washington. Paris is pushing for the EU to relax rules on state subsidies in order to accelerate their allocation, simplify the bloc's support for investments and create an EU sovereign fund to boost green industries. Berlin, however, warns against protectionism.
On defense, the neighbors are expected to discuss military aid to Ukraine, according to French and German officials who weren't authorized to be publicly named according to their governments’ policies.
Both countries have contributed significant weaponry, but Ukraine is asking for tanks and more powerful arms as Russia’s war drags on.
Read more: Russia claims progress in eastern Ukraine; Kyiv craves tanks
The war has exposed differences in strategy between the two countries, notably in European talks on how to deal with the resulting energy crisis and punishing inflation, as well as over future military investment.
Sunday’s gathering is the first such in-person joint government meeting since 2019. It was originally scheduled for October, but was repeatedly delayed.
The officials are marking the 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty signed by French President and wartime anti-Nazi resistance leader Charles de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on Jan. 22, 1963.
Developed countries must keep food out of the purview of war, sanctions: Agriculture Minister tells Berlin conference
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque has urged developed countries to keep food and agricultural products out of the purview of war and sanctions.
Developed countries should be more responsible and proactive in ensuring global food security, the minister said at the 15th Berlin Agriculture Ministers Conference in Germany on Saturday.
Bangladesh is a victim of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, he said, adding that as a result of this war, price of fertilisers has quadrupled, and price of food grains has increased significantly -- impacting food security.
“I call upon the developed world to take flexible, unbureaucratic, and fast steps to mitigate this negative impact,” he told the conference.
Read more: Dhaka, Abuja agree to explore possibilities in contract farming, cooperation in agro, food processing
Highlighting state measures to ensure food security in the future, Razzaque said the current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working to build a developed, sustainable, and climate-tolerant agricultural system, through which food security will be sustainable, nutritious food will be ensured, and farmers will have a better life.
Land depletion, population growth, climate change, Covid-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war have become obstacles, he added. “In this situation, I request the developed countries to promptly implement the commitments made in COP26, COP27 and other global forums.”
The conference was held on the last day of the four-day (January 18-21) 15th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), organised by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Agriculture ministers of more than 70 countries and representatives of 10 international organisations participated in this conference.
At the conference, it was mentioned that according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global hunger is to be eradicated (Zero Hunger) by 2030. But the reality is that the number of people suffering from hunger is increasing day by day.
Around 70.2 to 82.8 crore people were affected by hunger in 2021, which is 4.6 crore more than in 2020 and 1.5 crore more than in 2019. Species extinction, Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war have added new dimensions to the food crisis.
Read more: International community urged to address triple challenge of food, fuel, fertilizer shortages
In view of this situation, increasing cooperation to build a crisis-proof, climate-resilient food system, to protect biodiversity, and to build a sustainable global food system were emphasized in the conference.
A 'Joint Manifesto' (Communique) titled 'Food System Transformation: A Worldwide Response to Multiple Crises' was also announced by high-level representatives and agriculture ministers of the countries participating in the conference.