Keeping envoy in Dhaka during PM’s Japan visit an internal matter of foreign ministry: Shama Obaed

The decision to bring Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Md Daud Ali back in Dhaka during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to Japan is an internal matter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Minister Shama Obaed Islam said today.

She made the remarks while responding to reporters after an event at the CIRDAP auditorium on Topkhana Road in Dhaka this afternoon.

The programme, titled “National Position Paper Unveiling and Dialogue”, was organised by ActionAid ahead of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for November 9-20.

Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Japan from October 26 to 29. It emerged two days ago that Daud Ali had been asked to remain in Dhaka ahead of the visit and would not be in Tokyo during the prime minister’s trip.

Asked about the decision, Shama said, “It is absolutely an internal matter of the ministry. This is neither a national nor an international issue.”

She added, “It is a standard procedure. The decision on when an ambassador will be called back by the foreign ministry rests entirely with the ministry.”

Highlighting Dhaka’s ties with Tokyo, she said Japan had remained Bangladesh’s top trade and development partner for many years.

“Our relationship with Japan dates back to our Liberation War and has grown even deeper over time. You will notice that Bangladesh-Japan relations have advanced further under every BNP government,” she said.

Describing the prime minister’s upcoming visit as highly significant, Shama said a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) could be signed in areas including infrastructure, energy, technology, garments, education and health.

She also expressed hope that the visit would help attract new Japanese investment to Bangladesh.

“We believe the prime minister’s visit will create opportunities for fresh Japanese investment. A new Bangladesh Invest law has been enacted at the prime minister’s initiative, and through this framework we expect more Japanese investment to come to Bangladesh. Promoting that effort will be one of the objectives of this delegation,” she said.