Bangladesh is normal, foreign minister tells British counterpart

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has told his British counterpart Philip Hammond that the overall security situation in Bangladesh was normal.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Nov 2015, 05:17 AM
Updated : 26 Nov 2015, 07:58 AM

He said the few recent incidents of violence were engineered by the BNP-Jamaat alliance to “destabilise the country and maligning Bangladesh's growing positive image”.

Ali also informed Hammond that intelligence agencies have found “definite evidence” that the killings and attacks were the handiwork of “local extremists” and that “no external connections could be found”.

They met on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Wednesday afternoon at Malta.

The discussions focused on issues related to international peace and security, terrorism and violent extremism.

The foreign ministry said both foreign ministers expressed willingness “to intensify cooperation in combating them”.

Ali reassured Hammond that the government had undertaken “stringent measures to guarantee safety and security of both citizens and foreign nationals in Bangladesh”.

The UK minister offered to extend “necessary support or capacity building in fighting terrorism”.

He expressed concerns over the rise of violent extremism in various parts of the world.

He particularly mentioned that Islamic State and al-Qaeda were aspiring to operate beyond their traditional pastures and said all countries had to be vigilant against this common threat.

In this regard, he appreciated the ‘zero tolerance’ policy of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Ali invited him to visit Bangladesh at his convenience and Hammond “readily accepted”.

Hammond is the second UK Minister meeting Mahmood Ali in Malta in as many days.

Earlier, the British State Minister for Trade and Investment called on him.

Mahmood Ali also took part in the first day of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ meeting, that precedes the meeting of the Commonwealth heads of governments.

He will also represent Bangladesh at the heads of governments meeting.

He spoke on development issues such as the SDGs and stressed on exploring ways to implement the SDGs at the foreign ministers’ meeting.

The meeting discussed initiatives undertaken for the LDCs and small states emphasising on the need for capacity building and rules based trade.

 Meanwhile, a five-member Bangladesh delegation led by State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze also attended the three-day Commonwealth Women’s Forum and showcased Bangladesh’s progress and best practices in women empowerment.