United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh and the Maldives on Thursday emphasized that the two countries can further strengthen cooperation in the health, fisheries and tourism sectors. Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin requested the consideration of the government of Maldives for recruiting Bangladeshi nurses. He made the request when High Commissioner of Maldives to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed met the new Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Secretary expressed hope that the two countries will explore untapped potentials for stronger trade ties and will pursue multi-sectoral cooperation. The High Commissioner congratulated the Foreign Secretary on assuming his new responsibilities. She also conveyed good wishes from the Foreign Secretary of the Government of Maldives.The Foreign Secretary welcomed the High Commissioner to Bangladesh and congratulated on her appointment. He also assured her of all cooperation. He mentioned that Bangladesh attaches high importance to her relations with the Maldives. He thanked the Government of Maldives for ensuring employment of Bangladeshi workforce in Maldives. The High Commissioner highlighted Bangladesh as an important regional partner and appreciated the contributions of Bangladeshi migrant workers as instrumental to the development process in the Maldives. She also informed that the Government of Maldives will soon commence the regularization process for the undocumented Bangladeshi expatriates living in the Maldives. The High Commissioner thanked the government of Bangladesh for hosting a good number of Maldivian students particularly in medical education. The Foreign Secretary informed that the government of Bangladesh attaches high importance to SAARC. Both sides emphasized to work closely at SAARC and other regional and multilateral fora.

Noting the recent students-led mass uprising as an astonishing development, Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Reto Siegfried Renggli on Thursday termed this transition as an opportunity for widespread reforms in Bangladesh and assured Swiss government’s support to the reform process. The Ambassador paid his maiden courtesy call on Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and handed over the original congratulatory message from the Swiss Federal Councilor during the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Adviser highlighted the Interim government’s remarkable decision to form a number of commissions to that purpose. He also sought cooperation from the relevant Swiss authorities in identifying and returning illegal assets deposited in the Swiss banks by some Bangladeshi nationals. The Swiss Ambassador assured all cooperation in this regard as per international standards and procedures. Both sides expressed happiness over Bangladesh’s accession to the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearance and agreed to work together to uphold human rights agenda further. On trade and investment, the Ambassador described Bangladesh as a tremendously potential market and urged the need for more private sector engagements and level playing field to attract new Swiss investments. Referring to the immense capability of the Bangladeshi youth especially in ICT, the Adviser requested Swiss support in leveraging their full potential for productivity and economic growth through generating entrepreneurship and employment. The Ambassador shared eagerness of the Swiss side in this regard. Both the Adviser and the Swiss Ambassador discussed about the Rohingya crisis and agreed that the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar with safety, security and rights is the only solution to the crisis. The Swiss Ambassador assured more humanitarian support to the Rohingyas as well as to the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

Shah Ahmed Shafi has been named as new High Commissioner of Bangladesh to South Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced his new appointment on Thursday.  Shafi, a career diplomat belonging to the 17th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) cadre, joined Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1998. Currently, he is serving as an Additional Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka; responsible for the bilateral affairs related to the East European countries and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).  Prior to that, he served at the Foreign Service Academy, Dhaka as Director General. Earlier he also served at the National Defence College, Dhaka as a Senior Directing Staff (Foreign Affairs)/ Faculty. In his diplomatic career, he served in different capacities in Bangladesh Missions in Nairobi, Los Angeles, Paris and New Delhi.  He also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing.     Ambassador-designate Shafi holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Dhaka University.  He did another Master’s in International Relations from the International Institute of Public Administrtation (IIAP), Paris. Later in 2016, he completed NDC course (Master’s in Security and Strategic Studies) from Bangladesh National Defence College. He took part in several other professional training courses both at home and abroad, and represented Bangladesh in numerous international meetings and negotiations.  He is fluent in English and French while Bengali is his native language.   

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin on Thursday requested the Italian Ambassador to resolve the outstanding work visa applications at an early date including through innovative means and assured all possible cooperation from the Bangladesh government in this regard. He made the request when Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro met him at his office. The Foreign Secretary deeply appreciated Italy for being the generous host of the second largest Bangladesh Diaspora in Europe and acknowledged their immense contributions to the economies of both countries. The Ambassador congratulated Jashim Uddin on his appointment as the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh and hoped that bilateral relations between the two friendly countries will be further strengthened in the coming days. Terming Bangladesh as an important country for Italy, particularly in terms of migration, the Ambassador expressed Italy’s desire to deepen migration cooperation with Bangladesh.  Ambassador Alessandro confirmed Italy’s will to resolve the outstanding work visa issue at an early date, and cooperate further to curb irregular migration and promote legal pathways for skills mobility from Bangladesh to Italy, during the maiden courtesy call on Foreign Secretary by the Ambassador of Italy at the Ministry today. The Italian Ambassador informed that a significant number of work visa applications are now pending at the Embassy mainly due to the illicit meddling of organized criminal networks, constantly trying to interfere with the work visa system, the submission of counterfeit documents as well as the unforeseen surge of visa requests in relation to the Embassy’s human resources. He further informed that the Italian government has announced very stringent measures against human trafficking and migrant-smuggling. The competent offices of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation are now supporting the Embassy in discriminating suspicious and genuine work permits (Nulla Osta) in order to fast-track the visa issuing process. This will allow the Embassy to clear a significant number of genuine visa applications by the year-end, as well as further investigating potentially suspicious requests, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ambassador expected that the work visa applications would be processed at a faster rate in the coming weeks with the reinforcement of additional officials at the Italian Embassy in Dhaka. The Foreign Secretary thanked the Italian Ambassador for his earnest and practical efforts to resolve the outstanding work visa applications and both sides expected that the proposed MOU between the two governments on migration and mobility would be concluded soon to facilitate legal pathways for employment of skilled workers, curb irregular migration from Bangladesh to Italy, and establish closer cooperation on repatriations.

A total of 23 young Bangladeshi professionals have received Chevening Scholarships for the coming academic year (2024/25). They will soon leave Bangladesh to begin one-year master’s degrees at some of the UK’s most prestigious universities. British High Commission Dhaka welcomed the next cohort of Chevening Scholars through an online event last week. Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. The scholarships support one-year taught master's degrees at UK universities for individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion formers. British Charge d’affaires James Goldman said many congratulations to the 23 young scholars, including 17 women, from Bangladesh joining the Chevening programme this year. “UK degrees and teaching methods are world-class and will allow them to develop their professional skills and shape their future career.”When they return home after their studies in the UK, they will be well-equipped to be leaders in their fields here in Bangladesh,” Goldman said.Applications for Chevening Scholarships to study in the UK are open to apply until 5 November 2024, said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday. Chevening began in 1983 and has developed into a prestigious international awards scheme. Chevening Scholars come from over 160 countries and territories worldwide. Over the past five years, Chevening has awarded over 8,000 scholarships. There are over 57,000 Chevening Alumni around the world who comprise an influential and highly regarded global network.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus could be an asset in leveraging his star power and connections to the donor community to get Western governments to consider hosting refugees, says an expert on South Asian affairs. "Yunus has an opportunity this month: He is expected to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York, which will give him a prominent platform to make an appeal to the world, both through his speech and on the sidelines," Michael Kugelman wrote in Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief. It may be difficult, he said, adding that the sheer scale of the Rohingya challenge, competing donor priorities, and the uneasiness of many governments about taking on refugees could cause him to fall short. However, the stakes are high for the Rohingya refugee community, as well as for Bangladesh. "Rohingya refugees face major hardships, living in overcrowded camps and depending almost entirely on humanitarian aid. Beginning in 2020, Dhaka relocated thousands of refugees to a deserted and flood-prone island," said the expert. Because, he said, Bangladesh doesn’t provide Rohingya refugees with a path to citizenship, many are deprived of basic services, including access to education. This week, Prof Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, called for the expedited resettlement of Rohingya refugees to third countries. Bangladesh hosts over 1.2 million Rohingya today, many of whom fled military violence in Myanmar in 2017; many reside in massive refugee camps in the city of Cox’s Bazar. Intensifying conflict in Myanmar has likely prompted Yunus’s urgency: Around 8,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed the border into Bangladesh in recent months, according to Bangladeshi officials. The Rohingya issue is one of many daunting policy challenges for Yunus and the interim government, which is also grappling with restoring law and order following the forced resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last month, stabilizing a sputtering economy, and initiating large-scale institutional reforms, said Kugelman But Bangladesh has a fighting chance at addressing the refugee crisis, in large part because of Yunus himself. Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist and microfinance pioneer, enjoys close ties with Western governments and the international donor community. "His prominence and reputation overseas lend him the credibility to make effective pitches for increased humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh—the first and most immediate step needed to tackle the crisis," said Kugelman. The international community has provided generous assistance, including $2.4 billion from Washington since 2017. But ensuring continued aid is essential: Competing humanitarian crises in Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere risk distracting from the plight of the Rohingya, even as thousands more refugees enter Bangladesh. The Hasina government had made an $852 million appeal for assistance this year, but the United Nations warns it has been underfunded. The second and more difficult step is the resettlement process. Given the rapidly worsening conflict in Myanmar, Bangladesh’s interim government wisely appears unwilling to continue the Hasina administration’s policy of seeking to repatriate some Rohingya back to Myanmar, including involuntarily. Negotiating third-party resettlements won’t be easy; to this point, few countries have stepped up to host Rohingya refugees. (India, Malaysia, and Thailand host a combined 345,000 people), said Kugelman. In recent years, many desperate Rohingya refugees have boarded flimsy boats from Bangladesh and sought to escape to Southeast Asia by sea—but some have died en route, and others have faced violent resistance on arrival. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi officials and international experts worry about the long-term costs for Bangladesh of hosting so many refugees, from worsening economic stress to radicalization risks. Ultimately, the Rohingya have a potential powerful champion in Yunus, if he is up for the task of advocating on their behalf on the global stage, said the expert, adding that it is a challenge for which he’s eminently qualified.

Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner Dr Lilly Nicholls on Wednesday reaffirmed Canada's commitment to supporting the interim government and its reform efforts. She described the Bangladesh-Canada relationship as "multifaceted" and expressed optimism about further collaboration. Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin hosted a farewell luncheon in honour of High Commissioner Nicholls at the State Guest House Padma. Prior to the luncheon, they discussed various aspects of the Bangladesh-Canada bilateral relationship. The Foreign Secretary praised Dr Nicholls for her dynamic role in strengthening ties between the two countries. He highlighted the recent student-led uprising in Bangladesh as a revolutionary event that has created space to reform the country towards a democratic future free from discrimination. The Foreign Secretary sought continued Canadian support for ongoing reforms under the interim government. Dr Nicholls also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support throughout her tenure.

The United States and the European Union (EU) have discussed the latest developments in Bangladesh. On September 9-10, 2024, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service (EEAS) Secretary General Stefano Sannino held the seventh high-level meeting of the U.S.-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth meeting of the U.S.-EU High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific. The two sides discussed the latest developments in Bangladesh apart from other issues, according to the US Department of State. They shared their respective assessments of the geopolitical trends shaping the situation in the Indo-Pacific. They discussed current challenges in Myanmar, highlighting the UN Special Rapporteur’s June 26 report identifying banks assisting the military government and discussed means to further enhance coordination and assessment of restrictive measures.  They also strongly condemned the DPRK’s continued arms transfers to Russia and Russia’s use of DPRK ballistic missiles in Ukraine.  They discussed the value of U.S. and EU respective engagement with India on global challenges, on security, including in the maritime sphere, energy and connectivity in the Indo-Pacific.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between Bangladesh and Iran, reaffirming the potential for enhancing cooperation in multiple sectors. Ambassador of Iran Mansour Chavoshi met the Foreign Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed issues of mutual interest. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, with an emphasis on diplomatic, economic, and cultural cooperation. During the meeting, Ambassador Chavoshi referred to the congratulatory message from the Iranian Foreign Minister and congratulated the Foreign Adviser on his recent appointment. Ambassador Chavoshi expressed Iran’s commitment to further deepen these ties, proposing the signing and renewal of MoUs/Agreements on investment, preferential trade, tariff reductions, visa exemptions, cultural exchanges, city-to-city partnerships, and media collaboration, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both sides also stressed the importance of expanding cooperation particularly in healthcare, tourism, education, and knowledge-based industries, with focus on advanced technology. The Ambassador expressed gratitude for Bangladesh’s longstanding support on international platforms and voiced his hope for continued collaboration in future global initiatives. They also discussed the holding of the next round of Foreign Office Consultations and to resume the Joint Commission meeting in Tehran soon. They explored ways to address current challenges and expand opportunities for collaboration.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday reiterated that they want good relations with India and other neighboring countries. But, he said, that relationship should be based on fairness and equality. "With India, we have already started discussions on high-level bilateral cooperation in dealing with floods," Prof Yunus said in a televised speech in the evening marking the first month of his government. He said he has taken the initiative to revive the SAARC grouping of nations with a view to enhancing regional cooperation in South Asia. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif are among the heads of government that have had telephone conversations with him, Prof Yunus said. After assuming office, Prof Yunus said, the Heads of Government of various countries congratulated him over the telephone and sent greetings. Ambassadors and high commissioners stationed in Dhaka met him and assured him of strengthening bilateral cooperation. “At my request, the government of the United Arab Emirates announced amnesty to 57 Bangladeshis who were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for participating in anti-fascist protests,” Prof Yunus said. Some of them have already returned to the country. “It’s very rare.” Prof Yunus said they want the country to be known with respect to the world as a democratic country.