Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen
Trying to shift stranded sailors from Ukraine to Romania, says Foreign Secy
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Friday said efforts are underway to bring 28 crew of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" to Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also said around 600 Bangladeshis have so far reached Poland from bordering Ukraine fleeing the strife.
Read:Bangladeshi crew in Ukraine: Govt trying to evacuate them to Poland, says Shahriar
In a video message earlier on Thursday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the Bangladeshi crew members had already been taken to a relatively safe place from the ship that came under attack leaving its third engineer dead on Wednesday.
The ship had also been declared abandoned.
The government initially tried to move the crew members to Warsaw, Poland.
The sailors are also carrying with them the body of deceased Hadisur Rahman, a 47-year-old Bangladesh national.
The state minister said the government, in consultation with the Shipping Ministry, will bring back the 28 sailors along with the body of the third engineer if they can safely leave Ukraine.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain talked to the captain of the ship.
28 stranded Bangladeshi crew shifted to safer place: Foreign Secy
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Thursday said 28 crew members stranded on a Bangladeshi ship in war-torn Ukraine have been shifted to a relatively safer place there.
He said the crew members have moved out from the ship, Banglar Samriddhi, which came under missile attack, he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The foreign secretary also said Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain talked to the captain of the ship.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine war: 28 crew of stranded Bangladeshi vessel call for help
He said around 600 Bangladeshis are now in Poland and 100 of them are staying there under government arrangements.
Masud Momen also said Bangladesh Missions in neighbouring countries of Ukraine remain ready as they are exploring ways to find a convenient route for their safe exit from Ukraine.
The ship has already been abandoned considering volatile situation there.
Expressing deep condolences to the near and dear ones of deceased Hadisur Rahman, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday said the Russian side "bends every effort" to ensure safe departure of the Bangladeshi ship from the port.
The Command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, relying on the objective monitoring data, has repeatedly stated that, during the retreat, the Ukrainian nationalists open indiscriminate fire and deliberately capture hostages, use them as a “human shield”, resorting to the well-known terrorists’ tactic, said the Embassy.
Hadisur, 47, 3rd engineer of the BSC ship positioned in the inner anchorage of Olvia port (Ukraine), was killed as a result of a missile attack.
"The circumstances of the incident are being established," said the embassy.
Also read: Safety of stranded Bangladeshi crew govt’s top priority: State Minister
For resolving the humanitarian issues arising from the special military operation in Ukraine, including the requests for evacuation of the civilians, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has launched the hotline +7 495 498-34-46, +7 495 498-42-11, +7 495 498-41-09.
Ukraine crisis: No direct impact on Rooppur, other projects, says FS
Bangladesh does not see any direct impact on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and other projects now, but the country is keeping close tabs on the overall situation.
"So far, we think, there will be no direct impact on Rooppur or other projects," Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told reporters after attending a programme in the city Saturday evening.
Read: Around 200 Bangladesh citizens reach Poland, Romania from Ukraine: Shahriar
He, however, said, there might be some effects if the financial transactions are routed through New York.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is expected to become operational from next year. Originally, the first unit of the power plant was scheduled to open by 2024 and the second one by 2025.
The US and European allies said Friday they were stepping up sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine by adding measures directly targeting President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, putting diplomatic appeals to one side as Russia's forces closed on Ukraine's capital, according to AP.
Read: Bangladesh again requests Canada to deport Bangabandhu's killer Nur
Earlier, the foreign secretary attended the lecture "The Dynamics of Bangladesh-USA Relations: Democracy and Human Rights or Geopolitical Interest?" hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA).
Dr Sujit Kumar Datta, associate professor and chairman of the Department of International Relations at the University of Chittagong, presented the keynote paper.
Toufiq Islam Shatil, director general (Americas) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr ASM Ali Ashraf, professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, attended as discussants.
BILIA Director Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman delivered welcome remarks.
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.
Indo-Pacific: UK sees Bangladesh as "critical stability provider"
The United Kingdom (UK) has recognized Bangladesh’s role as a "critical stability provider" in the region, and its particular relevance in the context of the UK’s integrated foreign, trade, development and security policy review with focus on the Indo-Pacific.
Bangladesh and the UK agreed to remain engaged on a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis, together with relevant regional and international actors.
The two countries discussed the bilateral, regional and global issues at the 4th Strategic Dialogue held in London on Thursday.
Both delegations exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
Read: FM reiterates call for removing Bangladesh from UK's Covid red list
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh delegation at the talks while his British counterpart Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) led the UK side.
The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary urged the UK to review the current travel restrictions on Bangladesh as a matter of priority, considering the steady improvement in the Covid-19 infection and vaccination rates.
The two sides agreed to further scale up cooperation in genome sequencing of the testing samples through relevant Bangladesh agencies.
Bangladesh and the United Kingdom reaffirmed their historic and multidimensional ties at the 4th Strategic Dialogue.
“Bangladesh at 50 and the UK post-Brexit have the opportunity to further energize our bilateral relations in line with our efforts at resetting our foreign policy pursuit towards deeper strategic engagement with key international partners”, said Masud Momen.
Barton underlined the importance of the two democracies engaging with each other on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
The two sides recalled the founding of the bilateral relations during Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s visit to London on January 8, 1972 on his way to the newly independent Bangladesh, when he was received by the British Prime Minister Edward Heath.
Future belongs to technologies: FS
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said artificial intelligence, Blockchain and other modern technologies need to be gradually introduced for the greater welfare of people and reaping the benefits of Digital Bangladesh.
He laid emphasis on recalibrating and redesigning the existing institutional structure to extend the services to the doorsteps of people moving to digital platforms.
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Masud Momen mentioned, there is no alternative to becoming self-sufficient in information technology.
He noted the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for turning the dream of Digital Bangladesh into reality and Prime Minister's Adviser on ICT Sajeeb Wazed, for leading from the front as the driving force behind the design of today's Digital Bangladesh.
Read:Int'l support architecture for Asia-Pacific LDCs need of the hour: Momen
Hasina a household name in Palestine: Envoy
Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan has highly appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her concern about the Palestinian people and expressing her solidarity with the just cause of Palestinians.
“Sheikh Hasina is a household name in Palestine. The people of Palestine invariably love and respect Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her unflinching support for them," said the Ambassador.
Read:PM denounces attacks at Al Aqsa mosque compound
He appreciated continued support of Bangladesh and the empathy of Bangladeshi people for the oppressed occupied people of Palestine.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen handed over a letter concerning the recent airstrikes unleashed by the Israeli military to the Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday at his office.
The Foreign Secretary conveyed the concern of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regarding the current development in Gaza.
Bangladesh appreciated the OIC Secretariat for convening an emergency meeting of the Council of Permanent Representative to the OIC and passing a resolution about the atrocities inflicted upon the civilians by the occupying forces.
Read:Covid-19 crisis: PM Hasina reiterates firm solidarity with India
The Foreign Secretary said OIC might convene an emergency meeting of OICFM or Al Quds Committee for a sustainable solution to the evolving situation.
He stressed that the latest development in Gaza may be taken to the UNGA or UNSC through the OIC Secretariat for a sustainable solution of the Palestinian crisis.
Bangladesh, Japan to develop strategic ties
Bangladesh and Japan on Thursday discussed ways to develop strategic ties giving a big boost to the existing comprehensive partnership as the two countries want to open a new chapter in their relations in 2022.
Treaty on Teesta should cover basinwide management: IFC
International Farakka Committee (IFC), an environmental and water rights watch group, has said that agreements on basinwide water management of the natural common rivers is now a demand of the time.
Bangladesh-Japan ties rock solid: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday described Dhaka-Tokyo relationship as "rock solid", noting that Japan came out to help Bangladesh without reservation.