Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman led the Bangladesh delegation, comprised of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials, to the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Minister’s Meeting (CFAMM) held on 8 March at Lancaster House in London.
Delegates from 56 Commonwealth Nations attended the meeting. They set the agenda and tone for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November this year as well as discussed about the challenging time the global community is currently going through amid the erosion of rules-based order and undermining of international norms set by the international institutions.
In his deliberation, highlighting on the free, fair, participatory and peaceful election that just held couple of weeks back, the Foreign Minister expressed his proudness to have been a true representative of the people of Bangladesh in the August CFAMM, conveyed how the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is consolidating the Commonwealth values of good governance through injecting extraordinary humility in politics and brilliant ideas in governance.
He expressed heartiest gratitude to the Commonwealth Secretariat for sending a high-power Commonwealth Observer Group who observed the election on the ground all-across the country and their post-election report highly commended the spectacular accomplishment of an extraordinary election for nearly 13 million voters. Highlighting on the importance of the multilateralism, he called upon concrete actions to confront existential global challenges, particularly climate change and growing economic uncertainty.
In the afternoon session, the Foreign Minister raised the unbearable burden Bangladesh is shouldering in hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingya minorities from Myanmar for nearly one decade already, while the fresh arrivals still continue.
He expressed concern over the gradual decline of humanitarian assistances for the Rohingyas. He urged for sustained international engagement to ensure safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
The Foreign Minister and the Advisor to the Prime Minister seized the opportunity to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines.
In the bilateral meeting with Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the UK (Foreign Minister of the UK), major issues between the two countries came to discussion and way forward was outlined.
Other bilateral engagements included formal meeting with Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary of Canada, Alvin Botes (MP) Deputy Minister, International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa; E. P. Chet Greene Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda; and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana as well as several other pull aside meetings with Heads of delegation.
In these meetings, while issues of mutual interest were discussed, the Foreign Minister also sought support for Bangladesh’s candidacy for the President of General Assembly and received assurances from them.
The Foreign Minister will attend the Commonwealth Day Celebration at the Westminster Abbey and join a reception at St. James’s Palace tomorrow.
bd-pratidin/GR
