Foreign Secretary participates in the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting in Manila. Issues, including Rohingya repatriation, climate resilience, trade, and cybersecurity, were highlighted by Bangladesh in the meeting as major regional concerns.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Hakan Fidan, called on the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, H.E. Tarique Rahman, at the Prime Minister’s Office this afternoon. The call marked the final engagement of the Turkish Foreign Minister’s three-day official visit to Bangladesh.
During the meeting, Minister Fidan conveyed H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's greetings to Prime Minister Rahman. He stated that his visit constituted the first step towards elevating Bangladesh–Türkiye relations to a strategic level.
In this regard, both sides agreed to hold Annual Foreign Office Consultations at the level of Foreign Ministers. It was also decided that annual 2+2 consultations will be held involving Foreign and Defence Minister's of both sides. In addition, with a view to further strengthening political, economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries, a consultation mechanism in the form of a committee would be established under the respective Foreign Ministers which will involve the concerned ministries of each side.
The meeting reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. Discussions focused particularly on the Rohingya issue, climate change, trade and investment, joint production and cooperation, and regional and international matters of mutual interest.
Prime Minister Rahman thanked the Turkish Foreign Minister for undertaking the visit. He extended an invitation to H.E. President Erdoğan to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time in the near future.
From the Bangladesh side, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Shama Obaed, MP, and the Hon’ble Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Mr. Humaiun Kabir were present during the meeting.
Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Bangladesh, Mr. Lulzim Pllana, called on the Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, on 3 June 2026 at the Ministry. During the meeting, they discussed various issues, including strengthening diplomatic relations, promoting trade and investment, enhancing cooperation in education, manpower, defence, and migration, and deepening engagement in international organizations.
State Minister emphasized expanding bilateral trade with Kosovo and requested the Kosovan envoy to import top-quality RMG, pharmaceutical products, furniture, plastic goods, ships, jute, and leather products from Bangladesh at an affordable price. She highlighted the investment opportunities in Bangladesh, with incentives in sectors like apparel, leather, light engineering, agro-processing, petroleum, ICT, renewable energy, and waste management, and invited Kosovo to invest in Bangladesh.
State Minister emphasized to explore untaped protentional in cooperation in education, employment and migration, and urged Kosovo to recruit more Bangladeshi manpower, including skilled and semi-skilled workers. She also mentioned that Bangladesh has a huge demographic advantage with 65% population under the age of 35, making it a sustainable source for skilled manpower. She requested to facilitate the enrollment of more Bangladeshi students in various universities in Kosovo, including through offering scholarships, fellowships, and grants, and to facilitate visas for Bangladeshi nationals for studies, work, business, trade & investment, tourism, youth, sports and culture and so forth, and to enhance people-to-people contacts.
State Minister recalled the commendable role that Bangladesh peacekeepers played during their participation in the UN Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in 1999 to maintain peace and stability in Kosovo. The Kosovan ambassador gratefully recalled Bangladesh's contribution and the proactive diplomatic engagement with Kosovo and expressed his readiness to strengthen the existing excellent bilateral relations. He further mentioned that Kosovo is a gateway for Europe and Balkans and echoing the views of State Minister he reiterated that there has lot of potential with Kosovo for wider cooperation with Bangladesh in trade and commerce, investment, education, exchange of student, manpower in infrastructure development, elderly care givers, professional training, private sector to private sector collaboration, youth and sports, business-to-business relations, people-to-people contacts, and so forth.
Many congratulations to our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalilur Rahman, on his election as the President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
This achievement reflects Bangladesh’s increasing contribution and credibility on the global stage. We believe he will proudly represent Bangladesh and forge connectivity, dialogue, and cooperation in addressing multilateral, shared challenges. We wish him every success in this new responsibility.
Dr. Wisam Hussein Ali Al Ithawi, Chargé d’Affaires of Iraq in Dhaka, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, today.
The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, manpower, and multilateral issues, alongside regional developments in the Middle East.
H.E. Mr. Jamil Haji Ismail Al Balushi, Ambassador of Oman to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, today in Dhaka.
The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, culture, sports, and manpower sector, and reaffirmed their commitment to further advancing Bangladesh-Oman relations.
Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman met CPPCC Chairperson Wang Huning in Beijing today. Both sides reaffirmed the Bangladesh-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and commitment to deeper cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, and development. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Humaiun Kobir and Ambassador Mr. Md. Nazmul Islam were present during the meeting.
Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman this morning. Both sides discussed mutual trade facilitation initiatives, practice of fair trade, elimination of trade barriers and enhanced trade and investment cooperation. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitments to carry forward bilateral trade relations between Bangladesh and the US in a positive trajectory.
The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh, Mr. Dharmapala Weerakkody, paid a courtesy call on the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
During the meeting, the State Minister and the High Commissioner reviewed various aspects of the ongoing bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interests. Both sides emphasized the need to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, health, education, tourism, connectivity, culture, and sports to unlock the significant untapped potential between the two countries. The State Minister highlighted Bangladesh’s export strengths in sectors such as jute, pharmaceuticals, leather goods and information technology.
The State Minister emphasized that the Government of Bangladesh places high priority on fostering constructive relations with neighbouring countries. She reaffirmed Government of Bangladesh’s commitment to revitalizing SAARC for the benefit of the peoples of the region.
H.E. Mr. Mikhail Kasko, Non-resident Ambassador of Belarus to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Ambassador Kasko congratulated the Hon’ble State Minister on assuming office and conveyed the readiness of the Government of Belarus to work with the new Government of Bangladesh. The Hon’ble State Minister welcomed the Ambassador and expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to work closely with Belarus to further strengthen the existing friendly relations.
Both sides held productive discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation in key areas, including agriculture, defence, textiles and RMG, skilled and semi-skilled labour migration, IT sector, pharmaceuticals, and jute. They also emphasized the importance of strengthening people-to-people contacts to further solidify the foundation of bilateral relations. Both sides agreed that different bilateral mechanisms, including Foreign Office Consultations, should be held more frequently to expedite discussions and advance cooperation in identified priority areas.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing appreciation for the warm and friendly exchanges and reaffirming their shared commitment to further deepen and broaden Bangladesh-Belarus relations in the coming years.
Strongly condemning the cowardly act of violence at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Relieved to learn that the @POTUS, the First lady and others are unharmed. We stand firmly against all forms of violence.
“The new Government of Bangladesh has renewed its commitment to strengthening ties with African nations, including Senegal, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman,” said Shama Obaed Islam, MP, State Minister for Foreign Affairs during a bilateral meeting with Cheikh Niang, Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad of the Republic of Senegal. The meeting was held on 21 April 2026 on the sidelines of the “Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa” in Dakar.
Minister Niang lauded the decision of the Government of Bangladesh to send a delegation to the Forum and expressed his appreciation to the State Minister for attending the event despite the long journey.
The State Minister recalled the historic visit of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to Senegal in March 1981, accompanied by Begum Khaleda Zia, noting that it marked the first visit by a Head of State of Bangladesh to Senegal. She also informed Minister Niang about the recent free and fair General Elections in Bangladesh, highlighting the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s clear mandate from the people.
Both Ministers agreed to hold Foreign Office Consultations at the soonest to further consolidate bilateral relations through enhanced political dialogue and expanded cooperation across multiple sectors. State Minister Shama Obaed stressed the importance of establishing a Joint Trade Commission and exchanging business delegations to boost bilateral trade and investment. She also highlighted Bangladesh’s strengths in sectors such as ready-made garments, textiles, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, leather, raw jute and jute products and ICT, and proposed expanding cooperation in agriculture and agro-processing.
Minister Niang expressed Senegal’s high regard for Bangladesh’s significant contributions to peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts in Africa and reaffirmed his country’s readiness to work closely with Bangladesh in multilateral fora.
Both leaders discussed the possibility of opening resident diplomatic missions in each other’s capitals.
The State Minister extended an invitation to the Senegalese Foreign Minister to visit Bangladesh, which he gladly accepted, expressing his intention to undertake the visit at a mutually convenient time.
Sadia Faizunnesa, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Morocco and Ambassador-designate to Senegal, accompanied the State Minister during the meeting.
In the afternoon, the State Minister gave interviews to Le Soleil, a renowned local daily, as well as Senegalese National Television, where she highlighted the new BNP-led Government's initiatives to promote peace, development and stability, with a particular focus on women’s well-being.
Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman met with Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Gedion Timothewos, in Addis Ababa 🇧🇩🇪🇹
They emphasized the importance of strengthening mutual cooperation and highlighted the historical ties and shared values between the two countries.
Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister, Humaiun Kobir, was also present at the meeting.
Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman met Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation of the European Commission, in Brussels. 🇧🇩🇪🇺
They discussed expanding Bangladesh–EU cooperation in research, science, technology and innovation, with focus on artificial intelligence, digital innovation, climate resilience, green transition, health, and sustainable development.
The meeting reaffirmed shared commitment to building a forward-looking and innovation-driven partnership.
🇧🇩🇧🇪 In Brussels, Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman met Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to stronger bilateral ties.
They discussed trade & investment, multilateral cooperation (including at the UN), migration, visa & consular issues, and the Rohingya crisis.