Dhaka-Tokyo meeting: Nazrul Islam to lead Bangladesh, not Jashim Uddin

Uncertainty shrouded all of a sudden on Monday over the foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Japan, scheduled to be held on 15 May.

Finally, the meeting will go ahead, and Md Nazrul Islam, secretary (east) at the foreign ministry, will lead the Bangladesh side at the meeting, not the foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin.

The two countries agreed some time ago to hold the foreign secretary-level talks in Tokyo, but the foreign ministry sent a diplomatic note to the Japanese embassy on Monday morning infirming the latter that Bangladesh postponed the meeting due to ‘unavoidable circumstances.’

Chief adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to visit Tokyo at the last week of May.

Prior to that, there had been talk of postponing the foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries.

According to diplomatic sources, Japan brought the matter to the attention of the chief adviser’s office on Monday afternoon.

That evening, the chief advisor's special envoy for international affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi, instructed the foreign ministry to propose to Japan that a preparatory meeting be held on 15 May instead of the foreign secretary-level meeting.

Later that night, national security adviser Khalilur Rahman spoke to the chief adviser about the previously scheduled foreign secretary-level meeting. It was then decided that the meeting between the foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and Japan will be held in Tokyo.

However, Md Nazrul Islam, secretary (east) of the foreign ministry, would lead Bangladesh in the meeting on 15 May, not foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin.

When asked, Md Nazrul Islam confirmed to Prothom Alo on Tuesday evening that he would participate in the foreign secretary-level meeting in Tokyo.

He said Tokyo has been officially informed that he would lead the Bangladeshi delegation in the talks.

Earlier, in light of the evolving situation, foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon in his office with Japan's ambassador to Dhaka, Saida Shinichi.

After the meeting with the foreign secretary, Saida Shinichi told Prothom Alo, “To the best of my knowledge, the prescheduled foreign secretary-level meeting is going to take place in Tokyo on 15 May. Various bilateral relations, as well as regional and international matters will be discussed at the meeting. Since professor Yunus is scheduled to visit Tokyo at the end of this month, that visit will also be discussed in the meeting.”

Just a week ago, ambassador Saida Shinichi also met with foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin in preparation for the foreign secretary-level meeting between Dhaka and Tokyo.

The foreign ministry’s sudden decision to postpone the meeting via a letter surprised not only Japan but also policymakers within the Bangladeshi government.

Given that Japan is a long-standing and trusted partner, postponing the foreign secretary-level meeting just before professor Yunus’s visit—citing “unavoidable reasons”—was deemed unwelcome.

If the scheduled meeting had not taken place, there was concern that Japan might receive the wrong impression about the Bangladeshi government. However, due to timely intervention from the government, the risk of unnecessary complications between the two countries has been avoided.

According to government sources, the postponement of the foreign secretary-level meeting with Japan is linked to changes in the position of Bangladesh’s foreign secretary.

About a week ago, top policymakers of the government had nearly finalised the decision to remove Jashim Uddin from the post of foreign secretary. However, as of Tuesday, no official order was issued in this regard.

Currently, foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain is on a visit to Germany to attend a UN ministerial-level meeting.

He is expected to return to the country this Thursday. Government officials indicated that decisions regarding changes to the foreign secretary post and the future of Jashim Uddin will be finalised after Touhid Hossain returns.

Diplomatic sources have said the foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Japan in Tokyo on 15 May will be held in two parts.

The initial session will focus on bilateral issues. In this segment, Japan will present a summary of the current state of bilateral relations. Japan is also expected to share its stance on a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific.’ Japan will also raise defence and security cooperation issues.

On the other hand, Bangladesh will bring up issues related to economic relations and cooperation, cultural exchange, and people-to-people contact. The Rohingya refugee issue is also expected to be addressed by Bangladesh during the first session.

In the second session, the focus will shift to regional issues. Bangladesh will raise matters concerning South Asia, while Japan is expected to discuss China and East Asia. Japan also plans to talk about global issues and mutual cooperation in the international arena.