State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir will visit Azerbaijan and Iraq this week as part of the government's efforts to promote peace, security and stability in Asia and beyond.
He will participate in a high-level meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku.
The CICA is a multinational forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
“I am going to Azerbaijan. I will be there from October 15 to 16,” Kobir told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
The 7th Summit of the CICA will be held on Thursday, a senior official told UNB, adding that the state minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 2am on Wednesday.
CICA Chairmanship of Azerbaijan will host the Summit with the support of the CICA Secretariat.
Heads of state or government, delegates from CICA member states, observer states, observer and partner organizations will participate in the event.
The 7th CICA Summit will bring together regional leaders to reaffirm their shared commitment to dialogue, mutual trust and constructive cooperation.
The event provides a vital platform for strengthening confidence-building measures, promoting peace, security, stability and sustainable development, as well as advancing multilateral approaches to addressing issues of common interest.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the visit, Kobir said Bangladesh now needs to develop greater engagement with Central Asia, describing the region as a new space and dimension for the country’s foreign policy outreach.
“Central Asia is a new space and dimension from the foreign policy projection point of view, and we are building engagement there,” he said.
The state minister said Bangladesh sees considerable scope for expanding political, economic and strategic engagement with the Central Asian countries as Dhaka seeks to diversify its external relations.
Following his Azerbaijan engagement, Kobir said he will travel to Baghdad, Iraq, to attend a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday.
He will also deliver a statement on behalf of Bangladesh at the OIC meeting.
The state minister said Bangladesh attaches importance to the Baghdad gathering at a time when significant geopolitical changes are taking place across the Middle East.
Referring to Iraq’s transformation after decades of conflict and instability, he said a new horizon for development and international engagement is emerging in the country.
“Baghdad is an interesting place to be at this time. After going through turbulent times over the last 20 years, a new space of opportunity and engagement has opened up,” Kobir said.
He said Bangladesh will explore possibilities for further engagement with Iraq as well as the wider region as countries affected by prolonged instability gradually enter a new phase.
The state minister underscored Bangladesh’s strong interest in peace and stability in the Middle East, noting that the region is home to a huge number of Bangladeshi expatriate workers.
“Peace and stability in the Middle East are of interest to Bangladesh. We have nearly eight million workers there and a very large workforce,” he said.
Their safety, welfare and well-being remain among the government’s highest priorities, particularly amid conflicts and security threats in different parts of the region, Kobir added.
He said instability in the Middle East could have implications not only for Bangladeshi expatriates but also for the country’s economic and energy interests.
The state minister said numerous diplomatic and informal channels are currently engaged in efforts to find peaceful solutions to regional conflicts.
“Many stakeholders are formally and diplomatically engaged to bring about a peaceful resolution. There are also informal and back-channel discussions,” he said.
Kobir said Bangladesh, with its long-standing experience and internationally recognised role in UN peacekeeping, will positively consider any proposal to contribute to safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East.
“We will always positively consider any proposal that comes to Bangladesh to participate in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” he said.