FM Khalilur Rahman holds bilateral meetings on OIC sidelines in Jeddah

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of key participating delegations on the sidelines of the Executive Meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Palestine in Jeddah today (27 February), discussing issues of mutual interest.

He met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A Elkhreiji of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Foreign Minister of Türkiye Musa Kulaklikaya, Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian, and Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie of Gambia, who is also chairing the Executive Meeting.

The visiting leaders conveyed their "heartiest congratulations" to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's "massive victory" and his assumption of office. They expressed confidence that under his leadership, Bangladesh would "speedily attain political stability and accelerated development". 

They also commended Bangladesh for its unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause and expressed full support for the country's candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

During his meeting with the Pakistani foreign minister, Senator Ishaq Dar warmly recalled his meeting last year with the late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif "eagerly looks forward to visiting Bangladesh to personally greet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman". He expressed hope that under the new government in Dhaka, bilateral relations would steadily prosper.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya recalled the historical ties between Türkiye and Bangladesh and said he hoped cooperation would expand in multiple sectors in the coming days. Foreign Minister Rahman thanked Türkiye for its continued assistance to Rohingya refugees, and both sides agreed to work together towards an early resolution of the crisis. He also handed over an invitation to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to visit Bangladesh after Ramadan.

Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A Elkhreiji expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would visit the Kingdom at a convenient time in the near future and extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Rahman to visit Riyadh. He said Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 offered wide-ranging opportunities for Bangladesh and expressed his government's readiness to collaborate in this regard. Rahman noted that Saudi investors could explore significant opportunities in Bangladesh, and both sides agreed to work together to realise the potential. Elkhreiji also sought Bangladesh's support for major reforms aimed at enhancing the performance of the OIC Secretariat.

In talks with Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian, Rahman reiterated Bangladesh's "unwavering support" for the Palestinian people. He stressed that "the only solution to the Palestinian issue is the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with the pre-1967 border and East Jerusalem as its capital".

The Palestinian foreign minister lauded Bangladesh for its strong and consistent backing. Rahman also said that although Palestine might no longer be in the race for the UNGA presidency, its cause would be "fully upheld if elected to this office". The Palestinian minister said that the "Arab-Islamic bloc will be for Bangladeshi candidature".

In a separate meeting, Rahman thanked Gambian Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie for his country's continued support for the Rohingya people, including the case filed at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar over alleged genocide. He said Bangladesh stood ready to support Gambia's efforts in this regard. Both sides agreed to organise an event on the Rohingya issue during the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad in April. Njie expressed full support for Bangladesh's UNGA presidency bid and pledged to work with other African countries in its favour.

Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, Foreign Secretary Ambassador Mollah Farhad Hossain, and Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the OIC M J H Jabed were present at the meetings.