Foreign-Affairs
Saudi Arabia assures assistance in commercial supply of LNG to Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia has assured its assistance in the commercial supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Bangladesh on an emergency basis.
The Saudi assurance came during the 14th meeting of the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries held from October 30 to 31 in its capital Riyadh.
The Saudi delegation in the meeting also assured its assistance after Bangladesh requested investment in the Eastern Refinery Unit 2 project.
read more: Political stability, good incentives attract Saudi companies to invest in Bangladesh: Saudi Envoy
Two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed between the two countries during the meeting on mutual cooperation in recruitment, training of naval professionals, and increasing trade.
During the meeting, the two countries agreed to form a task force to enhance energy cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. It was decided to hold regular meetings of the task force on cooperation in the energy sector at convenient times for the two countries.
In the meeting, discussions were held regarding the construction of 1000 MW solar power and 730 MW gas power plant in Bangladesh by Saudi ACWA Power.
Read more: Saudi delegation to visit Bangladesh soon to discuss energy cooperation: Envoy
In the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Bangladesh Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Communications and Information in Saudi Arabia to increase mutual cooperation in all possible fields including recruitment, and training of the maritime professionals of the two countries.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mohammad Javed Patwary signed the MoU on behalf of Bangladesh and Deputy of Maritime Transport Abdul Rahman M Al Thunayen signed on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
In the meeting, another MoU was signed between the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), and the Federation of Saudi Chambers and Commerce to form a Joint Business Council to increase trade. The MoU was signed by FBCCI Vice President Md Habib Ullah and his Saudi counterpart Vice President of the Federation of Saudi Chambers Tariq bin Muhammad Al-Haidari.
Read More: Dependence on LNG import to continue, more terminals to be set up: Energy Advisor
An agreement was made between the Health, Education and Family Welfare Division of Bangladesh and the Saudi Ministry of Health To sign an expedited MoU for an 'Executive Program' for the recruitment of professionals from Bangladesh in the Saudi health sector.
Besides, a consensus was made on the signing of another MoU aiming to increase effective bilateral support in all fields of science and education between the education ministries of the two countries.
Economic Relations Division Secretary Sharifa Khan led the Bangladesh delegation during the meeting while Saudi Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain led the Saudi delegation.
Read More: Nasrul Hamid now hopes power supply situation will improve from Nov
The next meeting of the Joint Economic Commission will be held in Dhaka.
Ted Kennedy conferred with 'Friend of Bangladesh' medal posthumously
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday conferred the "Friend of Liberation War" honour posthumously on the late US Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, Sr for his great contribution to Bangladesh's War of Liberation.
"Today I am highly delighted to hand over the Friend of Liberation War Honour, conferred posthumously on Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, Sr to his able son Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, Jr," she said while joining a dinner hosted in honour of the visiting Ted Kennedy, Jr and his family members at a city hotel this evening.
Hasina recalled with gratitude the great contributions of late senator Edward M. Kennedy, Sr during the War of Liberation and afterwards.
She mentioned that Kennedy took a bold stand against the genocide committed by the Pakistani army against innocent Bangalees, despite the then-US government’s role favouring Islamabad.
Read: Edward Kennedy Jr’s message at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum visitors’ book
The prime minister also mentioned that Ted Kennedy also criticised the US policy to supply arms to Pakistan, and boldly called on the US government to stop American military and economic aid to Pakistan till the end of the war.
She also recalled that Kennedy visited the refugee camps in India's West Bengal in August 1971. Indeed, Kennedy not only visited the camps, he also authored a report on the refugee crisis in the border areas, after an estimated 10 million people fled the fighting in what would eventually become Bangladesh.
In December 1971, Ted Kennedy, the young senator with a famous family name, strongly criticised the Nixon administration's support for Pakistan and its ignoring of "the brutal and systematic repression of East Bengal by the Pakistani army".
Read: Visiting Ted Kennedy hopes US-Bangladesh relation will continue to thrive
In February 1972, Kennedy flew to independent Bangladesh and delivered a memorable speech at the University of Dhaka, where the Pakistan army's killing spree had commenced hardly a year earlier, saying: "We are brothers in liberty, and no man, no policy, no government can change that fact."
Kennedy served as a US senator for Massachusetts for 47 years till his death in 2009. In the course of his career he came to be known as "The Lion of the Senate."
UN Special Rapporteur will assess rights violation in trafficking during official visit to Bangladesh
UN Special Rapporteur Siobhán Mullally will assess the human rights issue of trafficking in persons during a ten-day official visit to Bangladesh that began on Monday.
“I will pay particular attention to the main challenges to ensuring the human rights of victims, and effective prevention of trafficking,” Mullally said.
The Special Rapporteur’s will present a comprehensive report of her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2023.
A particular concern will be the risks of trafficking in the labour migration context, as well as risks faced by refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons, she said.
Trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation and concerns in relation to child trafficking for all forms of exploitation will also be examined, as will climate-related displacement and increased risks for those directly affected, particularly women and girls in rural areas, and indigenous peoples.
“Measures to combat impunity for trafficking in persons, and ensure effective investigations, with participation of victims, including through child friendly justice procedures, will be examined,” she said.
The special rapporteur will travel to Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet. She will meet representatives of government agencies, as well as UN officials, law enforcement bodies, members of civil society organisations and survivors.
The special rapporteur will hold a press conference to share her preliminary observations on November 9.
Visiting Ted Kennedy hopes US-Bangladesh relation will continue to thrive
Visiting Edward M Kennedy Jr, son of late US Senator Edward M Kennedy and nephew of late US President John F Kennedy, said on Monday that he hopes the relationship between Bangladesh and the United States will continue to grow.
Referring to a banyan tree planted by his father on the Dhaka University campus in 1972, he said the banyan tree is the symbol of a strong relationship between the two countries.
"I just visited the banyan tree at the University of Dhaka, which was planted by my father after the independence war in 1972 as a symbol of the USA-Bangladesh relationship," he told a gathering on the campus.
Read: Bangladesh's Liberation War deeply moving for us: Kennedy Jr
“The tree has been still growing up and so is the relationship between the two countries since the last 50 years,” said Kennedy Jr., also known as Ted Kennedy.
He made the statement when he spoke at an event organised by the US Embassy to commemorate the 50 years of US-Bangladesh relationship at Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate building of the Dhaka University.
German, Bangladeshi officials celebrate 50 years of development cooperation
High-ranking officials of Bangladesh and Germany and representatives of other development partners and civil society Sunday celebrated the 50 years of Development Cooperation between both countries.
After a welcome by German Ambassador Achim Tröster, Parliamentary State Secretary for Development Cooperation Bärbel Kofler delivered a speech highlighting achievements and challenges and described pathways for future development cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany.
To better understand the opportunities as well as the obstacles ahead for the sustainable development of Bangladesh, Bärbel participated in the panel discussion "For a Just Transition in Bangladesh – The Future of Bangladesh's Economy and the role of Germany-Bangladesh Development Cooperation" with representatives of Picard Bangladesh, the Centre for Policy Dialogue, the International Growth Center, the International Labour Organization and the Economy of Tomorrow Fellowship Programme of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a lucrative country for foreign investment: Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that building partnerships in Bangladesh could be beneficial as the nation is a lucrative destination for foreign investment.
"With each of our partner countries, the ties and engagements have considerable mutuality of interest and benefit," he said.
The Foreign Minister was speaking on Saturday at a dinner programme in the city hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh to celebrate the 28th US Trade Show.
The engagements like the US Trade Show will indeed contribute to the fulfillment of Bangladesh's national and global desires for development, he said.
"We want to engage with friendly countries in a way that is mutually beneficial for national and global development ambitions," Momen said.
Describing Bangladesh as a land of opportunity, the Foreign Minister said, "I strongly believe that this event will significantly contribute in augmenting the economic relations, trade and business between these two friendly countries."
He said that Bangladesh is a country with a market of 165 million people and a country with great human potential because of the demographic dividend and its hardworking people. "These make Bangladesh a hotspot for investment."
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas and American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh president Syed Ershad Ahmed also spoke, among others.
Bangladesh’s interest lies in peaceful coexistence with Myanmar: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said various unintended incidents including mortar blasts and violation of airspace have occurred inside Bangladesh due to the ongoing conflict inside Myanmar between its army and the insurgent Arakan Army.
Momen said this while replying to a question from ruling Awami League MP Momtaz Begum in the Parliament.
However, he said that Bangladesh has so far shown patience in dealing with these provocative activities.
The foreign minister said that as a neighbouring country, Bangladesh is interested in peaceful coexistence with Myanmar.
“For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to resolve the ongoing problems through diplomatic initiatives in view of the behaviour of Myanmar,” he said.
He also said that as part of the diplomatic initiative, Bangladesh has strongly protested these incidents by summoning the Myanmar ambassador in Dhaka four times, and organizing a briefing for ambassadors of ASEAN countries in Dhaka.
He mentioned that the Chinese Ambassador was separately briefed and the Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon has informed the Myanmar government about Bangladesh's deep concern over the prevailing border situation.
In response to a question from Jatiya Party's Rustom Ali Farazi, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Bangladesh is not a drug producing country but is under the grip of drug problem due to geographical reasons.
“Illegal drugs enter our country from neighbouring countries,” he said.
He also said after preparing the list of godfathers and syndicates involved in drug business, actions have been taken against them.
The Home Minister said that in 2021, 93,190 cases were filed and 1. 22 lakh illegal drug dealers were arrested and brought under the law.
Meanwhile in 2022, the minister said that till August, 66,554 cases have been filed and 83,123 illegal drug dealers have been arrested and brought under the law.
Dhaka seeks proactive role from Thailand, ASEAN to repatriate Rohingya
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday sought a pro-active role from Thailand in particular, and from the ASEAN in general, for ensuring an expeditious and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya people to their homeland in Myanmar.
Momen also requested participation of the Thai Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Ministerial meeting in Dhaka next month.
The issues were discussed when visiting Permanent Secretary-designate of Thailand Sarun Charoensuwan met Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
During the meeting, they exchanged warm greetings on the occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and Thailand, which is being celebrated on both sides with fervor and enthusiasm.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh is firmly committed to maintaining cordial and friendly relations with all the neighboring countries in the spirit of its cardinal foreign policy objective of 'friendship to all, malice towards none.'
He stressed the importance of forging a stronger and more effective regional collaboration by facilitating greater connectivity in the region.
Momen called for mutually beneficial initiatives and cooperation to harness the complementarities existing between the two economies.
He requested more Thai support and expertise for improving the tourism sector of Bangladesh, which is endowed with immense potentials.
Momen also encouraged more Thai investment in the infrastructure development initiatives of Bangladesh, agro-processing sector, health and pharmaceutical sector, to further deepen the economic relations between the two countries.
The Thai permanent Secretary-designate lauded the high growth and massive developmental efforts going in Bangladesh currently, which is rapidly transforming the country.
He also emphasised on holding the Joint Commission Meeting at a mutually convenient time at the earliest.
He suggested to conclude an FTA for further strengthening the bilateral trade and business.
Meeting with Foreign Secretary
The visiting Thai Permanent Secretary-designate highly praised the interfaith harmony in Bangladesh that he observed during his offering of the Royal Kathina Robe at a temple in Binajuri in Chattogram on Saturday.
He shared these views during his meeting with Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
The visiting Thai dignitary also expressed his very positive impression of the huge development process going in the country.
Welcoming him on his maiden visit, the Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of strengthening a stronger regional approach to cope with the emerging challenges, particularly caused by the pandemic and the raging conflicts in Europe.
In view of the crises stemming from the food and energy insecurity, supply chain disruptions, the looming threats of recession, he called for more synergies and fruitful cooperation among the neighbours.
Expressing his satisfaction over the successful holding of the second Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in Bangkok in March this year, the Foreign Secretary emphasised on continuing such mechanisms to maintain the desired momentum in the bilateral relations.
He invited the Thai Permanent Secretary-designate for the Third FOC to be held in Dhaka at a mutually convenient date.
The Foreign Secretary also sought a more proactive Thai support to repatriate Rohingya people to Myanmar.
Bangladesh, Thailand keen to upgrade bilateral relations to strategic level
Bangladesh and Thailand on Sunday stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of the friendly and constructive bilateral engagements for raising the relations to a strategic level.
The two sides called for further exploring the untapped potentials for mutual benefits of the two countries.
Read more: Ted Kennedy Jr. meets PM Hasina along with his family
Bangladesh and Thailand are celebrating the 50 years of diplomatic relations in a befitting manner and with fervor through a series of events throughout this year.
As part of this celebration, an event to unveil a commemorative stamp and launching of an e-Book was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Read more: Bangladesh, Myanmar border guards meet Sunday to discuss tension
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and visiting Thai Permanent Secretary-designate Sarun Charoensuwan jointly unveiled the commemorative stamp and launched the e-Book.
The Foreign Secretary paid his tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to the martyrs of the great War of Liberation, and paid his homage to the late King Bhumibol of Thailand for his historic role in relation to the independence.
Both the Foreign Secretary and the Permanent Secretary expressed happiness at the friendly and multidimensional bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Thailand that flourished over the last five decades and evolved from strength to strength.
Thailand recognised Bangladesh on October 5, 1972 being one of the few countries that extended recognition to an independent and sovereign Bangladesh very early into her independence, according to the MoFA.
Ted Kennedy Jr. meets PM Hasina along with his family
Ted Kennedy Jr. and his family members paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday.
They met the premier at her official residence Ganabhaban in the morning, according to PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
Kennedy Jr., son of the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and nephew of the late US President John F. Kennedy, and his family members is in Bangladesh to attend the celebration of 50 years of Bangladesh-US diplomatic relations arranged by the US embassy here in Dhaka.
Read more: Family of US Senator Ted Kennedy, a true friend of Bangladesh, to visit Dhaka
Ihsanul said the prime minister welcomed the members of the Kennedy family, saying that this visit is very significant during the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh-US diplomatic relations.
She expressed gratitude to the family members for Edward M. Kennedy's outstanding contribution to the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina also recalled the visit of Edward M. Kennedy who was a staunch advocate for Bangladesh’s fight for independence, to Bangladesh in February, 1972.
Remembering late Edward Kennedy as a true friend of Bangladesh, the PM said he had also visited the refugee camps in India at that time.
She said the late US senator on 11th of December 1971 took a bold stance against the genocide committed against freedom-loving Bengalis by the Pakistan military in 1971.
Hasina said her ancestral home at Tungipara of Gopalganj was also set on fire during the 1971 Liberation War.
She said Senator M Kennedy raised his voice and drummed up public opinions in the USA in support to Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
The PM also highlighted various welfare steps taken by her government, including providing houses for homeless people.
During the meeting, Ted Kennedy Jr. said the then US President Nixon and Secretary of States Henry Kissinger supplied arms to the then West Pakistan, according the media briefing by the press sectary.
He said Kennedy family has been working for the justice and equality for the disabled people. He will meet with the organisations in Dhaka, which are working for the welfare of the disabled people.
Read more: Payra Port has so far earned revenues worth over Tk 600cr: PM Hasina
During the meeting, Kennedy Jr. was accompanied by Dr. Katherine Kennedy (wife), Dr Kiley Kennedy (daughter) and Teddy Kennedy (son).
Accompanied by his family members Ted Kennedy Jr. arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a seven-day visit to Bangladesh. He is scheduled to travel t0 Rajshahi and Bogura.
PM's Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas were present.