The diplomatic briefing, the first this year, was organised by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday morning at the Foreign Service Academy. The diplomats were also apprised of the ongoing local government elections and other issues.
The briefing was followed by an interactive session in which questions on LDC graduation, business and investment, Rohingya repatriation and other issues were addressed, says a Foreign Ministry release.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md. Tajul Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen represented the government.
With the twin celebrations of the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the country’s Independence, the year 2021 had a special significance for Bangladesh, Foreign Minister Dr Momen informed the diplomats.
Reflecting on 'the spectacular achievements' of the country in such areas as poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, infrastructure development, digitalization, etc, he also highlighted the government's 'successful' management of the onslaughts of the pandemic and the different incentives and packages announced to address its negative impact.
The foreign minister stated that despite the pandemic, Bangladesh had managed a growth rate of 5.4 percent last year.
The LGRD Minister briefed the diplomats on the different phases and results of the ongoing local government elections.
He mentioned that a large number of independent candidates had been elected at these elections.
The Law Minister, in his remarks, elaborated on the procedure of the Election Commission formation and the current dialogue of the president with different political parties.
On the Digital Security Act, he mentioned the government’s engagement with the relevant United Nations offices in order to understand best practices in this regard.
He expressed the readiness of the government to address any misuse or abuse of the act.
Minister Huq clarified the issue of “uncontested elections”, noting that such elections took place in other countries, including in the developed parts of the world.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs spoke on the initiatives of the government to create an investor-friendly environment in the country.