Collage: The Financial Post | Rahat Abir RupomPrime minister Tarique Rahman is likely to make three foreign visits between October and November this year, with planned trips to Japan and Saudi Arabia for bilateral engagements and to Turkey to attend the UN climate conference.
While some Indian media have reported a possible visit by Tarique to India in November, following earlier reports of a possible trip in late August, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry officials have given no indication of such a visit.
The planned trips would come after three major overseas visits by Tarique since he assumed office in February this year.
His first visit was to Malaysia on June 21–22, followed by a visit to China. He returned to Dhaka from New York on Sunday after a week-long visit to attend the UN General Assembly.
Japan
Foreign ministry officials said the prime minister may visit Japan in the latter half of October at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Japanese senior deputy foreign minister Namazu Hiroyuki conveyed Takaichi’s invitation to Tarique to visit Japan at a mutually convenient time during the seventh Bangladesh-Japan Foreign Office Consultations held in Dhaka on August 12.
Japan is a major development partner of Bangladesh and has supported projects including the Dhaka metro rail, the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the Araihazar Economic Zone and the deep seaport at Matarbari.
Japanese-funded projects, however, experienced a slowdown following the mass uprising in July-August 2024. With the BNP government assuming office in February, the projects have been gaining momentum, officials from both countries said.
‘Japan is eager to speed up development projects in Bangladesh. So, they were keen on a visit by the prime minister. That is in the interest of both countries,’ a foreign ministry official told New Age.
Saudi Arabia
Foreign ministry officials said Saudi Crown Prince and prime minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had invited Tarique to Saudi Arabia to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Last month, Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Zafer H bin Abiyah handed over the invitation from the Crown Prince to Tarique.
An official at the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh told New Age that discussions were underway for the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia in late November. The specific dates were still under discussion, he said.
Saudi Arabia is the largest destination for Bangladesh’s migrant workers, with more than two million Bangladeshis working in the country.
Both Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, however, want to expand bilateral relations beyond labour migration.
Amid changes in the security situation in the Middle East following the US-Iran war, a Saudi-led defence arrangement, known as the Mecca Pact, has emerged involving Pakistan and Turkey. There has also been discussion about Bangladesh joining the proposed arrangement.
State minister for foreign affairs Humayun Kabir previously told the media that Bangladesh viewed the proposed pact positively and was interested in the initiative.
Turkey
Tarique’s visit to Turkey is scheduled for November 11–12 to attend the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in Antalya.
The conference will be held from November 9 to 20, while Tarique is expected to attend the high-level segment, which will be attended by heads of governments.
‘We have a lot at stake at COP31. We are a frontline climate-vulnerable country and need substantial funding for climate adaptation. Our heads of government have always attended COPs over the years,’ a Bangladesh diplomat based in Turkey told New Age on Sunday.
Asked whether the prime minister would hold any bilateral meetings on the sidelines of COP31, the diplomat said the Bangladesh mission was working on the details of the visit and that no bilateral meeting had yet been confirmed for November 11–12.
The mission, however, was working towards arranging a separate bilateral visit by Tarique to Turkey next year, the official said.
FP/R
