Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud Bin Momen said on Saturday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working relentlessly to maintain a balanced relation with all the countries, keeping the interest of Bangladesh and its people intact.
He said the aim was to establish the country as a progressive one in the global platform, following the foreign policy of “friendship to all, malice towards none”.
He spoke at the 26th founding anniversary celebration and iftar of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at Dhaka Club.
Chairman of the Parliament Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs and former foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, former state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam, DCAB Nurul Islam Hasib, and General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu spoke at the program.
Diplomats from different countries, editors, journalist leaders, senior officials of the foreign ministry, and representatives from different government agencies attended the program, among others.
The foreign secretary congratulated all DCAB members on the occasion of the 26th Founding Anniversary.
“I am delighted to be part of this celebration.”
He said they had marked public diplomacy as one of the “prioritized sectors of diplomacy where we are engaged with the mass people more integrally and putting much emphasis on public opinion.”
“DCAB is a conduit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in reaching out to the public,” he said. “In many aspects, DCAB plays a complementary role in Foreign Ministry’s work.”
He highlighted the importance of media and said the relationship between the media and the foreign policy of Bangladesh is “mostly interconnected”.
“Media helps in building perception and sensitizing the common people on foreign policy issues. Constructive analysis on specific international affairs may assist the policymakers to take decisions,” he said.
He requested the DCAB members to deliver their responsibility sincerely, bring people closer to diplomacy and foreign policy issues, disseminate authentic information, contribute to build up a positive image of the government as well as the Foreign Ministry and prevent yellow journalism and conspiracy against Bangladesh.
“Journalism is not merely a profession, rather it’s a great responsibility to search for the facts and bring out the truth. Journalism requires in-depth knowledge, comprehensive analysis and professionalism.
“One of the most significant responsibilities journalists have is to verify the accuracy of their reports and communicate truth. In this world of free access to the internet, sometimes yellow journalism and distorted information are misguiding the readers,” he said.
“From its establishment, DCAB members and the diplomatic correspondents have exhibited their adeptness and efficiency to feature factual news on the activities as well as achievements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bangladesh Missions abroad,” he said.
“Public Diplomacy Wing of the Ministry is working very closely with DCAB. Weekly Media Briefing brought us even closer.”
“Sometimes your objective criticism may pave the way for taking the right decision and we welcome that.”
He appreciated DCAB’s supporting roles in critical times- be it the Rohingya crisis, Covid management and many more.
Organizing DCAB talks, seminars, training and workshops and other events and issuing publications are creating substance and making the association more vibrant, the foreign secretary said.
He wished that DCAB would enhance its collaboration with the similar associations in Asia and beyond and use digital tools to strengthen its outreach.
“I believe, in coming years, DCAB will remain engaged deeply in nurturing foreign policy issues, and their meaningful engagement will assist the country in achieving the vision of ‘smart Bangladesh’.”