United News of Bangladesh

Speakers at a roundtable discussion on Wednesday highlighted the immense potential to gain from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s forthcoming visit on trade, connectivity and financial cooperation fronts through engaging with China smartly with a view to take Bangladesh's development journey to the next level. They shed light on why Bangladesh needs China in its development journey and how Bangladesh can take advantage of converting geopolitical competition into geopolitical cooperation. There are new avenues that have been opened which came up for discussion including export diversification, discussion on possible free trade agreement (FTA), and Payra-centric comprehensive development initiative. Former state ministers for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Abul Hasan Chowdhury; Nahim Razzak MP, Executive Director of Centre for Alternatives (CA) Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, Prof Shahab Enam Khan of Jahangirnagar University’s Department of International Relations, BGMEA Director Shams Mahmud, Dhaka Tribune’s Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad, General Secretary of Jatiya Press Club and daily Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, OCAB General Secretary Julhas Alam, Prof Rumana Islam, DCAB President Nurul Islam Hasib, former DCAB President Raheed Ejaz, among others, were present. Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies (BFRS) hosted the discussion moderated by PM's former Special Assistant Barrister Shah Ali Farhad. Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Research Director Dr Mahfuz Kabir presented a paper at the beginning of the discussion while BFRS chairman ASM Shamsul Arefin delivered closing remarks. “Payra (south-west comprehensive development) is going to be our focal point. This proposal will be placed very strongly. We hope this discussion will progress,” said Shahriar Alam.  Regarding duty-free market access, he said the advantage that Bangladesh is getting from China is because of the bilateral relations that the two countries enjoy though it was given maintaining WTO guidelines. He said despite the WTO guidelines, many countries like the USA do not provide duty-free trade benefit. “I have every reason to believe that they (China) will extend that not just beyond 2026; it will be more like Canada which reviews such benefits every 10 years. Canada did its last review in 2023 which will last until 2033. I think similar rules will apply when it comes to China,” Shahriar said. He also said Bangladesh may seek around $5 billion for trade facilitation and there will be efforts to get a positive outcome to that end. Meanwhile, he added, pressure on forex reserves will be reduced if repayment of ongoing projects worth USD 4.5 billion can be delayed through discussion. On the Rohingya issue, Shahriar said he agrees that China must play a stronger role. On workers' issues, he said, China will be inviting foreign workers in the coming years as their population dynamic is changing fast. Shahriar said Bangladesh needs China for its rapid industrialization and noted the significant role that China has played over the last 15 years in socioeconomic development and infrastructure development, especially in the communication sector. “Industrialised Bangladesh needs China,” he said, noting that Bangladesh-China relations have deepened over the last decade. Delivering his opening remarks at a roundtable discussion, Shahriar recalled the historical facts during the Liberation War but recognised China’s contributions over the last one and a half decade.

Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy on Tuesday said they will continue to advocate for better opportunities for the Rohingyas, hoping for their safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable repatriation. "France salutes Bangladesh for hosting nearly one million Rohingya,” she said, adding that their top priorities go to addressing the growing insecurity in the camps and incidents of refoulement to Burma, as well as improving livelihoods for Rohingya. Rohingyas need security to return home in Myanmar: Swedish envoy UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has welcomed the contribution of EUR 1.5 million, equivalent to USD 1.6 million, from the government of France to support UNHCR’s efforts in providing humanitarian assistance and crucial protection services to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. “France is a steadfast supporter of the Rohingya refugee response. This generous contribution will support the humanitarian and protection needs of the Rohingya refugees including their education and skills development,” said Sumbul Rizvi, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh. “It will also support the host communities, who are on the frontlines of the climate and refugee situation, through successful rehabilitation of the environment and ecosystems of Cox’s Bazar, by substantially reducing CO2 emissions,” she added. PM Hasina urges China to resolve the Rohingya crisis With nearly one million Rohingya refugees hosted in Bangladesh who continue to rely on humanitarian assistance, since their arrival in 2017, this contribution will provide crucial support in - strengthening refugee resilience through skills development; as well as support climate action through the provision of clean cooking energy, through provision of an alternative to firewood that helps prevent deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions, said the UN agency on Tuesday. As France once again stands in solidarity with Rohingya refugees, UNHCR hopes this contribution will serve as a catalyst for other donors to follow suit, at a time of humanitarian funding shortfalls. In 2024, humanitarian agencies appealed for more than US$852 million to support almost 1.35 million people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities. By mid-year, the Joint Response Plan is less than 30 per cent funded. Bangladesh urges international community to invest for supporting Rohingyas' reintegration in Rakhine It is also critical that pledges made at last year’s Global Refugee Forum, of which France was a co-convener, are fulfilled to advance self-reliance for Rohingya refugees and to ease the pressure on the Government of Bangladesh as it generously continues to host them.

Speakers at a discussion said the eighth president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, was a very kind and generous person who worked devotedly and relentlessly for the country and the nation. The martyred President ran from one city to another, from one country to another, in the service of the country, they said. The Iranian President not only worked for his country and its people, he also worked for humanity, for the oppressed of the world, the discussants observed. On the occasion of the 40th day of the martyrdom of the popular president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the discussion was held at the Iran Cultural Center auditorium in the capital recently. Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh Mansour Chavoshi, Vice Chancellor of Global University Bangladesh Prof Dr Anisuzzaman and Cultural Counsellor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Bangladesh Seyed Reza Mirmohammadi, among others, spoke at the event. They said that during his time, Iran's relations with various countries of the world, including Muslim countries, have become stronger. The martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage caused an irreparable loss not only to the Iranian nation but also to the entire Islamic Ummah, said the discussants. He had worked for oppressed people all over the world including Palestine. Because of this, people around the world mourned his martyrdom. Millions of people flocked to his funeral, they observed.    

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has said Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through a joint taskforce will work to protect Bangladeshis workers going to Saudi Arabia from fraud, making sure that no one is cheated. He was speaking at an opinion exchange meeting with expatriates on Monday evening at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Minister said there has been a fruitful discussion with the Saudi Foreign Minister regarding the joint taskforce to bring more transparency to manpower migration to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh and stop the harassment of workers by groups with vested interest. The formation of the taskforce is a reflection of their goodwill in this regard, he said. Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Advisor Salman F. Rahman delivered speech as special guest at the meeting. Foreign Minister Hasan highlighted the overall picture of the country's development activities under the leadership of the Awami League government and said, "The whole world is praising the incredible development and progress." “Daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is leading independent Bangladesh,” he said, adding that the Saudi government also praised Bangladesh’s growth under her leadership. Stating that the contribution of expatriates to the national economy is immense and important, Hasan Mahmud also talked about incentives for them to send remittances, account maintenance in foreign currency through online offshore banking management, universal pension facilities, and expatriates’ welfare. The minister directed them to comply with the local laws and regulations and urged the expatriates to remain alert and proactive against anti-state propaganda. He also directed to improve the quality of consular services of the embassy. Issues of recruitment of more skilled Bangladeshi professionals in Saudi Arabia, facilitation of Akama renewal, cultural exchange, direct flight from Chattogram to Riyadh, wage earners bond, health insurance for expatriates, arrangements for repatriation of deceased expatriates, legal assistance, passport renewal through embassy, NID correction, and family visa were also addressed. Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F. Rahman highlighted various investment opportunities for expatriate Bangladeshis including offshore banking. He called upon the expatriates living in Saudi Arabia to create public awareness so that Bangladeshis who want to go to Saudi Arabia do not fall victim to fraud. Salman said the people who want to go to Saudi Arabia must verify things including recruiting company before going to Saudi Arabia. Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday discussed ways for increased Saudi investment in special economic zones and offshore banking systems in Bangladesh. The issues were discussed at the second Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia Political Consultations held in Riyadh. Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud led the Bangladesh delegation. Minister Hasan discussed with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud wide-ranging issues of regional and global development and of bilateral, economic, manpower and energy partnership. The high-level meeting was also attended by Salman F. Rahman, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Private Industry and Investment; Additional Foreign Secretary (Bilateral-East and West) and Inspector General of Missions Dr Md Nazrul Islam; Bangladesh Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Md Javed Patwari; Director General (West Asia) Md Shafiqur Rahman; Director General (Foreign Minister's Office) Md Arif Nazmul Hasan and Saudi officials. They reviewed the entire spectrum of partnership between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.    

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has described energy connectivity as a “hallmark of transformative changes” that have taken place in India-Bangladesh relations in the last decade, leading to the creation of a regional economy in true sense. This includes a new cross-border pipeline launched last year, bringing high-speed diesel from an Indian refinery to Bangladesh; and the cross-border power transmission lines, bringing power not just from India to Bangladesh, but also facilitating power transmission from Nepal to Bangladesh through India, he said. The Indian High Commissioner delivered a special address at the inaugural session of a regional workshop on “Transforming Cross Border Electricity Trade and Regional Electricity Market for an Energy Secure South Asia.” It was jointly organized by India’s Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), South Asia Group on Energy (SAGE-RIS) and USAID’s South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) on July 1 in Dhaka. Media acts as a bridge connecting our peoples: Pranay Verma In his address, the High Commissioner emphasized that the robustness and integrated nature of the Indian grid, together with sophisticated platforms for power trading and exchanges existing in India, offer great opportunity to its neighbours to join each other through the Indian grid for seamless cross-border electricity trade.  He referred to the “Shared Vision for Future” articulated by the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh during the recent state visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, that has given a new impetus to both bilateral and regional power trade, as India and Bangladesh together commit to develop intra-regional electricity trade, including competitively-priced power generated from clean energy projects in India, Nepal and Bhutan, through the Indian electricity grid.  High Commissioner Verma noted that regional electricity trade would mark a paradigm shift in how energy security, economic growth, and environmental sustainability are approached by leveraging the strengths and resources of different countries to optimize energy production and consumption. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh Nasrul Hamid gave a keynote address through video-link.  The inaugural session was also addressed by the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, Chairman, SAGE-RIS R. V. Shahi; and USAID Mission Director in Bangladesh Reed Aeschliman.

Visiting Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Monday paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman at Army Headquarters in Dhaka. During the meeting, the army chief exchanged pleasantries with Indian navy chief, ISPR said in a media release. Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi congratulated General Waker-Uz-Zaman on taking charge of the chief of Bangladesh Army. At that time, they expressed their optimism to continue the mutual cooperation for further strengthening existing good relations between the forces of the two countries. Army Chief also thanked Indian Navy chief for paying a courtesy call on him. Earlier, a four-member delegation of Indian Navy led by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi arrived in Dhaka on June 30 on a four-day state visit. The delegation will return to India on July 5.

Newly appointed non-resident Ambassador of Lithuania to Bangladesh Diana Mickevičienė on Monday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at his office and discussed areas of cooperation between the two countries.  The Foreign Secretary congratulated the newly appointed Ambassador and discussed with her a number of issues of mutual interest.  He enquired about agricultural sector of Lithuania and possible cooperation between the two countries.  He advised the Lithuanian envoy to explore trade opportunities and send regular trade delegations to Bangladesh.  Citing the growing interest of Bangladeshi students to study in Lithuania, the Foreign Secretary requested the Ambassador to explore ways so that the students can easily get their visas.  He also suggested cooperation in ICT sector between the two countries and recruitment of skilled IT professionals for Lithuanian fintech companies.      Appreciating Bangladesh’s sustained economic growth and potential market size, Ambassador Mickevičienė expressed Lithuania’s willingness to enhance cooperation with Bangladesh in areas of agriculture, especially trading of grains, energy and ICT sectors.  She assured the Foreign Secretary to explore ways to facilitate visas for Bangladeshi students willing to study in Lithuania. Both sides agreed to facilitate signing of a MoU on holding regular Foreign Office Consultations between Bangladesh and Lithuania. The Foreign Secretary also expressed interesin establishingsh collaboration between the Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh and its counterpart in Lithuania.  They also reassured commitment to enhance cooperation in the multilateral arena.  Earlier, Diana Mickevičienė presented her credentials to the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh at Bangabhaban.  

The Mayor of Sintra awarded the town’s Municipal Merit Medal to Prince Amyn Aga Khan, in recognition of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)’s many years of work to enhance the quality of life in the local area. The honour was bestowed at the Town Hall during the Municipality Day celebrations hosted by Sintra City Council last week. “It’s an appropriate day to salute you,” said Mayor Basílio Horta in his address at the event. “The Aga Khan Foundation, for us, is a very very important partner, which serves our entire municipality, but extensively people who have special needs.” “I’m delighted by the work that the Aga Khan Foundation has been doing here,” said Prince Amyn, who also highlighted the importance of education, early childhood development and culture in addressing some of the challenges that communities and societies face today. “My thanks to you very much,” he added, “I hope to be back soon in Sintra.” Prince Amyn is a member of the board of directors at AKF, an agency dedicated to addressing the root causes of poverty and improving quality of life through sustainable development. Operating in more than 30 countries, AKF focuses on a range of areas including education, health, economic development, culture and environmental sustainability.

Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today discussed ways for increased Saudi investment in special economic zones and offshore banking systems in Bangladesh. The issues were discussed at the second Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia Political Consultations held in Riyadh. Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud led the Bangladesh delegation. Minister Hasan discussed with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud wide-ranging issues of regional and global development and of bilateral, economic, manpower and energy partnership. The high-level meeting was also attended by Salman F. Rahman, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Private Industry and Investment; Additional Foreign Secretary (Bilateral-East and West) and Inspector General of Missions Dr Md Nazrul Islam; Bangladesh Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Md Javed Patwari; Director General (West Asia) Md Shafiqur Rahman; Director General (Foreign Minister's Office) Md Arif Nazmul Hasan and Saudi officials. They reviewed the entire spectrum of partnership between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. At the meeting, they emphasized on Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia Joint Business Council to speed up their activities for the development of commercial relations between the two countries. They also discussed Bangladesh’s special privileges in importing oil from Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday said total of 11,450 Bangladeshis including migrant workers are in jails in 31 countries. The foreign minister said this in Parliament while replying to a query of ruling Awami League MP from reserved seats for women Farida Yasmin. In a scripted answer, the foreign minister said that according to information of different missions of Bangladesh abroad, maximum 5746 Bangladeshis are remaining in jails in Saudi Arabia while the lowest number—two are in jails in Portugal, Japan and Belgium each. The number of Bangladeshis confined in jails in other countries are: 1579 Bangladeshis in India, 508 in Türkiye, 420 in Oman, 415 in Qatar, 414 in Greece, 404 in UAE, 385 in South Africa, 358 in Myanmar, 219 Malaysia, 217 in Iraq, 191 in China, 122 in Hong Kong, 100 in Jordan, 81 in Italy, 70 in Maldives, 66 in Singapore, 49 in Indonesia, 28 in Lebanon, 19 in Spain, 16 in Brunei, nine in Libya, six each in Egypt and Korea, five in Algeria, four in Thailand and four in Mozambique. The foreign minister in reply to another query, said at present, no Bangladeshi  has been arrested and imprisoned due to entering India mistakenly. He gave this information in response to the question of AL MP HM Badiuzzaman.