21 Bangladesh missions to get new ambassadors

The interim government had decided to recall six ambassadors, who were appointed on contracts, between 8 and 15 August, and bring back the ambassadors, who will go on PRL (post-retirement leave) by 31 December, to Dhaka.

As a result, the government is set to appoint new ambassadors in at least 21 Bangladesh missions abroad including the US, the UK and China with the recruitment process already being completed at several missions.

Apart from this, at least 10 foreign missions are likely to see changes that include transfer and filling up of vacant positions within a month.

Diplomatic analysts said this is the first time such a large number of diplomatic appointments or transfers are happening at various foreign missions in such a short time.

Several highly placed sources at the government told Prothom Alo that the government has already sent the proposed names of the diplomats for eight countries including the US, the UK, China and Saudi Arabia for the permission of the respective countries.

Besides, decisions were finalised to appoint new ambassadors to 12 countries and the process started to send the names of the would-be diplomats for the permission of the respective countries. Process has also been finalised in appointing former secretary Md Mahfuzur Rahman as the Bangladesh ambassador to Portugal.

It is yet to be finalised who will be posted as the high commissioner at the Bangladesh mission in India, one of the most important missions for the diplomacy of Bangladesh.

Other than this, at least six missions are still functioning without an ambassador.

Regarding this, foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain said to Prothom Alo that a process has started to appoint in the vacant posts of ambassadors at the Bangladesh missions abroad. Proposed names have been sent to many countries, as well as names of new ambassadors will be sent to several countries soon.

The decision was taken to recall the ambassadors appointed on contract from the US, Russia, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UAE within a week of the formation of the interim government, followed by cancelling their contracts.

Then-Bangladesh ambassador to China Md Jasim Uddin was appointed as foreign secretary. As a result, these seven missions are left without an ambassador.

Besides, Bangladesh ambassadors to India, the United Kingdom, New York, the permanent mission to the UN, Belgium, Australia and Portugal will go on PRL within 31 December. They have been asked to return to Dhaka as the government has decided not to extend their contract. Overall, the post of ambassadors fell vacant at a total of 13 missions.

The post-recruitment process has started by finalising the nomination, subject to approval at the highest level, to appoint Bangladesh’s ambassador to Austria and Bangladesh’s permanent representative in the UN office in Vienna.

Besides, the process for recruitment of Asad Alam to the US, the Bangladesh ambassador in Oman, Nazmul Islam, to China, Bangladesh ambassador to Mexico, Abida Islam, to the UK, Bangladesh ambassador to Romania, Md Daud Ali, to Japan, Bangladesh ambassador to South Korea, M Delwar Hussain, to Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh ambassador to Algeria, Zulkar Nain, to Germany, Foreign Service Academy director general Shahnaz Ghazi to Romania and foreign affairs ministry’s International Organizations Wing director general Tareq Ahmed to the UAE.

The government has sent a note verbale to these eight countries for their approval. The US and the UAE consented to it.

The tenure of the Bangladesh permanent representative in the UN headquarters in New York, Mohammad Abdul Muhith, will end in December.

He was recalled to Dhaka and will be replaced by Bangladesh envoy in Nepal Salauddin Noman Chowdhury.

Bangladesh appointed a permanent envoy in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for the first time and Bangladesh consul general in Milan MJH Javed was appointed as the permanent representative.

New ambassadors are going to join another 10 foreign missions following the cancellation of contracts, retirement and transfers.

The decision has been finalised to appoint foreign ministry chief of protocol, Khandaker Masudul Alam, as the Bangladesh envoy in Belgium and the permanent representative to the European Union, foreign ministry’s UN Wing director general Toufique Hasan as the ambassador to Austria and the foreign ministry’s Regional Organisation Wing director general Rois Hasan Sorwar to Bahrain.

The decision to appoint Bangladesh High Commissioner in Singapore Touhidul Islam to Brazil, Bangladesh consul general in New York Nazmul Huda to Iraq, journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey to Mexico, Brazil ambassador Sadia Faizunnessa to Nepal, Bangladesh Navy senior officer and Dhaka naval region commander Rear Admiral Khondkar Misbah-ul-Azim to Oman has been finalised.

Besides, the decision to appoint Toufiq Islam Shatil, the deputy permanent representative of Bangladesh in New York, to South Korea and Ferdousi Shahriar, the director general (Myanmar division) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the next ambassador of Bangladesh to Singapore has been finalised.

Officials said that the process of sending their names as proposed ambassadors to those countries is going to start.

After taking over, the interim government initially took a decision in principle to abolish contractual recruitments. Later, however, the government backtracked from that decision.

Out of the 21 missions in which the recruitment process is currently underway, 18 are professional diplomats. Besides, a former secretary and a journalist have been contractually appointed as ambassadors. And a senior officer of the Navy is going to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on deputation and take charge as an ambassador.

Out of the 18 diplomats of the foreign ministry, who are going to be appointed as ambassadors in the new missions, nine are getting the responsibility for the first time. These missions are Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Romania, Bahrain, Iraq, South Korea and OIC headquarters.

India is important for Bangladesh’s diplomatic relations. But the government could not finalise who would be given the charge of the Bangladesh mission in India.

At the same time, the post of Bangladesh’s ambassador to Russia is also vacant. Apart from these two countries, there are no ambassadors of Bangladesh in Australia, Poland, Maldives and Algeria.

The government has not finalised yet who would take responsibility for these missions in the future.

Speaking about this, former ambassador of Bangladesh in the US and the president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), Humayun Kabir, told Prothom Alo, “We have never seen so many ambassadors being appointed together in such a short period of time.”

Acknowledging that there has been an incredible change in the country after 5 August, he said, “The government could appoint ambassadors in such a large number because of that.”

“In this changed situation, it would be appropriate to consider the recruitment going beyond the traditional practices combining wisdom and merit, taking into account the requirements of the time. It is also important to keep in mind that the appointment should be done in a fair manner considering the importance of relations with the relevant country,” he added.

* The eport, originally published in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna and Shameem Reza