United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh and Canada have discussed ways to explore new horizons for enhancing the bilateral relationship in multifarious aspects. Bangladesh highlighted the importance of "facilitating and expediting" student visas for Bangladeshi students as well as visas for both serving and former military officials The discussions also paved the way for "enhanced" defense cooperation, particularly in expanding training exchanges between military institutions. The issues were discussed during Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh General Waker-Uz-Zaman's visit to Canada. Canada welcomes interim government; eyes peaceful way to resolve crisis in Bangladesh He was received by Ajit Singh, Director of the Privy Council Office of Canada and High Commissioner-designate of Canada to Bangladesh, upon his arrival in Ottawa on October 23. Both the Army Chief and the High Commissioner-designate discussed addressing visa-related issues for all Bangladeshi citizens. During the visit, Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh, met with Lieutenant-General Stephen R. Kelsey, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada, and Salma Zahid MP, Vice-Chair of the Canada-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship Group and Member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, in Ottawa. Salma Zahid, MP, met with General Waker-Uz-Zaman in the morning of 23 October and discussed areas of mutual interests. In particular, General Waker-Uz-Zaman highlighted the importance of facilitating and expediting student visas for Bangladeshi students as well as visas for both serving and former military officials. He highlighted the interim government’s priority of youth development and sought Canada's assistance in this regard by facilitating more student visas citing the mutual benefits for both the countries. Salma Zahid acknowledged the challenges in this regard due to Canada’s existing housing shortage. She encouraged Bangladeshi students to apply to designated institutions in Canada for expeditious visa processing and reaffirmed her commitment to finding solutions to address the current limitations on foreign student admissions. The exploration of joint collaboration in educational exchange programs and the potential signing of an MoU between Canadian and Bangladeshi universities were also discussed. In addition, they discussed opportunities for cooperation in agriculture and infrastructure development. General Waker-Uz-Zaman proposed collaboration to address Canada’s housing crisis. In addition, the Army Chief mentioned Bangladesh’s readiness in assisting Canada in its healthcare sector, including through providing caregivers to Canada. In a separate meeting with Lieutenant-General Kelsey, General Waker-Uz-Zaman advocated for streamlining visa processing for both serving and retired Bangladeshi military personnel. He emphasized the need for a systematic approach for visa issuance and proposed to address individual cases if there are queries through bilateral consultations without generalizing or stereotyping, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Canada. The Chief of Army Staff emphasized increasing collaboration through officer exchanges at the National Defence College (NDC) and staff colleges, aimed at strengthening the professional development of military personnel from both nations. Nahida Sobhan, High Commissioner for Bangladesh to Canada, participated in both the meetings along with Brigadier General S M Asadul Haque and Major Md Shoaib Rifat Aumy.

German Commissioner for Indo-Pacific, South Asia and Afghanistan Ambassador Erik Kurzweil has assured partners in Bangladesh that Germany will continue to stand by their side and will look into opportunities to deepen exchanges on a sustainable transition. The Commissioner of the German Federal Foreign Office paid an official visit from October 23 to 24 to gauge the opportunities to intensify cooperation and exchanges with Bangladesh. In a meeting with the Additional Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nazrul Islam, both sides exchanges views on the situation in Bangladesh and the state of bilateral relations. Ambassador Kurzweil was especially happy that both sides reiterated their shared interest in signing the bilateral Climate and Development Partnership before the end of this year.  Ambassador Kurzweil highlighted the upcoming graduation and stressed necessary preparations in order to qualify for the EU’s GSP+ scheme. In further meetings with politicians, students and the civil society the Commissioner was provided with vivid accounts of the fight against the old government as well as the aspirations for a New Bangladesh. Germany is the second biggest export market for Bangladesh with a heavy reliance on the RMG sector, according the German Embassy in Dhaka. At a roundtable hosted by the Embassy the Commissioner and representatives of German companies in Bangladesh stressed the importance of reforms and reassuring international business partners.

Bangladesh has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) in Ankara. Bangladesh also expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack, and prayed for the fast recovery of the injured. Turkey and Germany leaders meet in Istanbul and find many avenues of agreement. But not on Israel "The government and the people of Bangladesh stand in solidarity with the brotherly people of Turkiye in these difficult times," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday.  

Sixty-five more Bangladeshi nationals evacuated from Lebanon arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday by a Saudi Arabian commercial flight. The aircraft, SV-810, carrying the Bangladeshis, including women and children, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) this evening via Jeddah, according to a press release. Besides, 31 more Bangladeshis have already left for Dhaka in SV-802 of the same airline. On arrival at Dhaka airport, the repatriated Bangladeshi citizens were welcomed by the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Each repatriated Bangladeshi received financial assistance of Tk 5,000, along with food items and medical care.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin has urged the officials of Bangladesh missions abroad to serve the expatriate Bangladeshi community with utmost care and sincerity. He made the call while speaking at a meeting with the officers and staff members of the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Dubai on Tuesday. The Foreign Secretary underscored the importance of providing more efficient and effective services to the service seekers by leveraging automation. He highlighted the recent students' movements in Bangladesh, calling on everyone to work together to achieve the nation’s collective dreams. He said that the interim government is working tirelessly to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. Foreign Secretary to lead Bangladesh delegation at BRICS Summit in Kazan The Foreign Secretary also highlighted the potential for boosting trade and investment between Bangladesh and the UAE. He encouraged the missions in the UAE to explore and foster investment opportunities from the host country to further strengthen Bangladesh-UAE bilateral relations. Consul General of Bangladesh in Dubai, Md. Rashedujjaman, in his welcome remarks, briefed the Foreign Secretary on the Consulate General’s current and future activities. The Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi Muhammed Mizanur Rahman was present at the meeting.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) held a luncheon reception to welcome the newly appointed Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Dhaka Megan Bouldin and its Political Economic Counselor Eric Geelan on Wednesday. On the occasion, the AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed, members of the Executive Committee, and all the AmCham members greeted both at their new appointment in Bangladesh. The AmCham President mentioned that they joined the US Embassy just after the revolution, a defining moment in our history, driven by a shared dream of unity, transparency, and progress. He expressed that Megan Bouldin and Eric Geelan’s new assignments to the US Embassy will further enhance and strengthen bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the US. USAID to provide $ 15 mln to boost climate resilience in Bangladesh Megan Bouldin, the newly appointed Deputy Chief of Mission, expressed her commitment to working with AmCham for shared success, progress, and prosperity, according to AmCham. Chargé d’affaires Helen LaFave also graced the program and shared his thoughts. Many AmCham members, including the Executive Committee Members, John Fay, Commercial Counselor, US Embassy, Dhaka, foreign dignitaries, business leaders, and other distinguished guests attended the luncheon. Al-Mamun M Rashel, treasurer-AmCham, Country Manager and Managing Director, NATco Bangladesh, offered the vote of thanks.

USAID will provide a grant of $ 15 million for the USAID ClimAct project, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said on Wednesday. The environment adviser made this announcement after a meeting with a USAID delegation led by Director Joseph Lessard at her office at the Secretariat. The discussions focused on enhancing climate resilience and environmental sustainability through the ClimAct Project. This initiative will assist the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in implementing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to promote green and climate-resilient pathways for Bangladesh. USAID highlights disaster preparedness, risk reduction efforts in Bangladesh The project will focus on three key areas: policy and planning, accessing finance, and governance of climate actions. During the meeting, Rizwana highlighted the importance of international collaboration. “The ClimAct Project is a crucial step in our fight against climate change, and USAID's support will strengthen our efforts to protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems,” she said. She stressed the need for global partnerships to address climate challenges, adding that collaborating with partners like USAID will enhance the country’s ability to mitigate the impacts of climate change, particularly in flood-prone, river-eroding, and coastal areas. Joseph Lessard reaffirmed USAID's commitment to working with Bangladesh on environmental initiatives, praising the country's proactive approach to climate issues and pledging continued support for long-term climate resilience.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has said India will continue to seek a ‘stable, positive and constructive’ relationship with Bangladesh built upon their interdependencies, in which people of both countries remain the main stakeholders. Verma made the remarks while addressing the 2024 NDC course participants at Bangladesh National Defence College in Mirpur on October 22. Chief Adviser expected to join COP29 Summit in Azerbaijan next month He spoke about India’s foreign policy and development strategy, highlighting India’s growing engagement with the world to promote rules-based international order, reforms of global governance and interests of the Global South, as well as to serve India’s quest for inclusive, sustainable and rapid national development. The envoy elucidated the long-term vision of Bangladesh-India relations under India’s foreign policy priorities of ‘Neighbourhood First’, ‘Act East Policy’, the SAGAR doctrine, as well as India’s Indo-Pacific Vision. Bangladesh urges UAE to address visa issues ensuring smoother mobility for workforce

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori has said Japan will continue to support resolving the Rohingya issue including funding assistance and cooperation with the government and relevant agencies. As the crisis is turning into its seventh year, it is essential to keep the attention of the global community, while multiple emergencies have been taking place in different parts of the world, said the Ambassador, adding that Japan will continue to work toward the resolution of the Rohingya issue. The Ambassador had his sixth official visit to the camp in Cox's Bazar on October 20-22 where over 1.2 million Rohingyas reside. He visited the Ukhiya Specialized Hospital, Save the Children site, and UNHCR WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project sites. The Ambassador also held discussions and exchanged views with host communities in Teknaf. Moreover, on the last day, he had meetings with the Refugee Relief & Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) and the Armed Police Battalion (APBN). Witnessing the ongoing activities in the field, Ambassador Iwama said, "This is my sixth visit to the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar, and this time I witnessed the current situation in the camps impacted by the flood damage due to the heavy rain on August 17.” He said the damage left by the devastating flood is still having a negative impact on the lives of people in the refugee camps, both physically and mentally. “At the same time, I saw how the aid funds provided by the Japanese government are being maximized in the refugee camps through the Bangladesh government, UN agencies, and NGOs,” said the Ambassador.  

Charge d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Dhaka Helen LaFave on Wednesday met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and informed him that a high-level delegation of the United States would visit Bangladesh in the coming weeks. During the meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna, they discussed issues related to the visit, issues of mutual interest and followed up on the key points discussed during the recent meetings between the Chief Adviser and US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. US says no excuse for violence in Bangladesh, those responsible should be held accountable Chief Adviser Prof Yunus spoke about the reform initiatives the Interim Government has undertaken so far. He also told her that six major reform commissions have already started their work and they would hold consultations with the stakeholders in the country.