The 3rd Consular Dialogue between Bangladesh and India held

Dhaka July 25 2022 :

The 3rd Consular Dialogue between Bangladesh and India held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on July 25 2022,  where all the consular issues were discussed. Secretary (East) Amb Mashfee Binte Shams led Bangladesh delegation while Secretary CVP Dr. Ausaf Sayeed led Indian side.

 The Bangladesh delegation was led by Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while the Indian delegation was led by Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs of India.

            The entire gamut of bilateral consular issues were discussed in depth during the Dialogue. The agenda items included expeditious repatriation of each other’s nationals, particularly trafficked women and children, smooth issuance of exit permits and granting consular access for a longer period.

The Bangladesh side emphasized on flexibilities in the visa regime and requested the Indian side to address the difference in overstay fine structures applied by India. Besides, the Indian side was also requested to ease registration requirements for Bangladeshi patients going for treatment at various hospitals in India.

Request to ease travel restrictions through all ports for Bangladeshi nationals was also reiterated by the Bangladesh side. The two sides agreed to expedite the process of consular access, transfer of sentenced persons and visa related issues among others. Both sides reiterated their earlier commitments to share real time information on detainees.

            Both sides agreed that the Consular Dialogue is an important mechanism to further strengthen the people-centric approach which is at the core of the excellent ties between the two friendly countries.

The Consular Dialogue is a reflection of the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for providing better consular services to Bangladeshi nationals going abroad, as well as foreign nationals approaching Bangladesh Missions for consular services.

The first ever Consular Dialogue between Bangladesh and India was held in Dhaka on 19 November 2017 and the 2nd Consular Dialogue between Bangladesh and India was held in New Delhi on 28 January 2021.

Momen briefed media on D8 Council of Ministers

The Developing-8 (D8) consisting of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey will discuss about development cooperation in the sectors of trade and investment, food and energy security, tourism and climate change during the 3 day meetings in Dhaka.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Council of Ministers meeting by joining it virtually on 27 July 2022.

HONDA Taro & JICA President jointly called on Foreign Minister

The First Round of Foreign Office Consultations ( FOC) between Bangladesh and Kenya took place at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on July 24 2022, chaired by Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka and Ambassador Moi Lemoshira, Director General, Bilateral and Political Affairs, Kenyan Foreign Ministry.

Both sides reviewed ongoing cooperation and underlined identifying potential areas of cooperation. Both sides agreed to initiate cooperation in agriculture including contract farming, air connectivity, visa waiver for official passport holders, IT, health, blue economy, climate change, trade and investment and tourism areas.

At the end of the meeting, two MoUs were signed on cooperation between Foreign Service Academies and Political Consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Bangladesh and Kenya by Foreign Secretary(Senior Secretary) Ambassador Masud Bin Momen and Kenyan Head of Delegation Ambassador Moi Lemoshira.