Bangladeshi diplomat Md Golam Sarwar has been appointed as the next secretary general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
"It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Mr Md Golam Sarwar, the serving Bangladesh ambassador to Malaysia, as the next secretary general of Saarc," the foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
He is the 15th Saarc secretary general overall and the third Bangladeshi to assume the position.
Sarwar, a career diplomat, is from the 10th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign Affairs). Joining the service in 1991, he has since performed numerous duties both domestically and abroad.
Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Bangladesh ambassador to Oman and Sweden as well as the consul general in Jeddah.
His diplomatic career also includes stints in Bangladesh missions in Yangon, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu and Washington.
Sarwar earned his master's degree in accounting from the University of Dhaka and is a native of Noakhali.
He also completed an article studentship with a leading Chartered Accountants and Management Consultant firm under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB).
Bangladesh is a founding member of Saarc. Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the other members of the bloc established in 1985.
