Foreign relations of Bangladesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The foreign relations of People's Republic of Bangladesh share
the Bangladeshi government's policies in its external relations
with the international community. The country pursues a moderate
foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational
diplomacy, especially at the United Nations and World Trade
Organization (WTO). Since independence in 1971, the country has
stressed its principle of friendship towards all, malice towards
none in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned
Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major
powers. Since the end of the Cold War, the country has pursued
better relations with regional neighbors. Inspired by Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman's vision for a Switzerland of the East, the
Bangladesh government has begun to translate the ideal into a
foreign policy that pursues regional economic integration in South
Asia and aims to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub of transit
trade in Asia.Participation in multilateral
organizationsCommonwealth of Nations-Bangladesh,which was part of
British India until 1947, joined the Commonwealth of Nations in
1972 after its establishment as an independent nation in 1971.[1]
It has actively participated in the Heads of Government conferences
that take place bi-annually.United Nations-Bangladesh was admitted
to the United Nations in 1974[2] and was elected to a Security
Council term in 1978-1980[3] and again for a 2000-2002 term.
Foreign Minister Choudhury served as president of the 41st UN
General Assembly in 1986. In recent years, Bangladesh has played a
significant role in international peacekeeping activities. Nearly
10,000 Bangladeshi military personnel are deployed overseas on
peacekeeping operations, making it a large contributor to the UN
peacekeeping forces. Under UN auspices, Bangladeshi troops have
served or are serving in Somalia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Kuwait,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Haiti, and units are currently serving
in Kuwait and East Timor. Bangladesh responded quickly to U.S.
President Bill Clinton's 1994 request for troops and police for the
multinational force for Haiti and provided the largest non-U.S.
contingent. As of December 2012, Bangladesh is the largest provider
of UN peacekeepers.Non-Aligned Movement
Main article: Non-Aligned MovementBangladesh was selected to
provide the next chairman of NAM at the summit scheduled for Dhaka
2001, however it was later decided to host the summit at an
alternative venue. As a member of the Non-aligned Movement
Bangladesh never took any position in line with big powers. However
it parted with its principle by voting at the United Nations
against North Korea, under pressure from Japan, in December
2008.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation-In 1974, then Prime minister
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, lead a Bangladeshi delegation
team consisting Kamal Hossain, Enayet Karim, Ataur Rahman Khan,
Taher Uddin Thakur, Tofail Ahmed and Shah Azizur Rahman under
him,[4] to the international meeting of the Organisation of the
Islamic Conference (OIC, now the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation) held in Lahore. Following this participation
Bangladesh was admitted as a member of OIC. In 1977, President
Ziaur Rahman amended the Constitution of Bangladesh, including a
clause stating that " the state shall endeavour to consolidate,
preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries
based on Islamic solidarity ".[5] Since then, an explicit goal of
Bangladeshi foreign policy has been to seek close relations with
other Islamic states. In 1980, President Ziaur Rahman was included
in a 3 member "Al-Quds" summit committee to attend the summit at
Morocco.[6] In 1983, Bangladesh hosted in capital Dacca the foreign
ministers meeting of the OIC. At the OIC headquarters at Jeddah,
Bangladesh is represented in the capacity of one of the Director
Generals.South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-The
government also pursued the expansion of cooperation among the
nations of South Asia, bringing the processan initiative of former
President Ziaur Rahmanthrough its earliest, most tentative stages
to the formal inauguration of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at a summit gathering of South Asian
leaders in Dhaka in December 1985. Bangladesh has served in the
chairmanship of SAARC and has participated in a wide range of
ongoing SAARC regional activitiesCentre on Integrated Rural
Development for Asia and the Pacific-An intergovernmental and
autonomous organisation, the organisation consists of fifteen
members:- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Iran, Indonesia,
Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Vietnam. The area of cooperation is primarily focused
on agriculture, regional relations and the development of the
region.Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation-An international organisation which includes
South Asian and Southeast Asian nations. The member nations of this
group are: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan
and Nepal. The organisation focuses on regional economy, regional
development and trade & investment.Developing 8
Countries-Bangladesh along with the seven other nations are all
original members and no plans for expansions have been made. The
Developing 8 is an economic development alliance consisting of
Muslim majority states which focuses in multiple areas which are
rural development, science and technology, banking, agriculture,
humanitarian development, energy, environment, health and finance.
On May 14, 2006 in Bali, Indonesia, Bangladesh was the only nation
not to sign a preferential trade agreement.Asia Pacific Trade
Agreement-In 2005, Bangladesh signed the APTA agreement which would
enable it to reduce trade gaps between itself and other nations
such as China, South Korea and its neighbour India. Another aspect
of the agreement is to be given duty-free access to its
products.[7]World Trade Organization-Bangladesh is an active member
of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Bangladesh has a permanent
mission in Geneva to look after matters relating to multi-lateral
trading system under the WTO regime since mid-1990s.World Customs
Organization-Bangladesh is an active member of the World Customs
Organization (WCO). Bangladesh has a permanent representative to
WCO which has its headquarters in Brussels.
Like Minded Group-Bangladesh have formed an alliance with
nineteen other developing countries to vote as a bloc in
organisations such as the WTO and the United
NationsOther-Bangladesh is currently chairman of the Developing 8
Countries. The government has participated in numerous
international conferences, especially those dealing with
population, food, development, and women's issues. In 1982-83,
Bangladesh played a constructive role as chairman of the "Group of
77", an informal association encompassing most of the world's
developing nations. It has taken a leading role in the "Group of
48" developing countries. Bangladesh also participates in these
international organizations: ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, SACEP, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO, OPCW.Bilateral relations-Bangladesh have established
official diplomatic relations with most of the members of United
Nations as well as some non-UN members like Palestine. Relations
with these nations are largely cordial except for some bilateral
disputes with India, Pakistan and Burma. Bangladesh puts deep
emphasize on relations with China and the United States as China is
the largest military supplier to Bangladesh while United States is
one of the largest export markets for Bangladeshi products. In
recent years, the relations with Russia also became influential
because of the Russian loan and technical assistance on military
modernization and the first ever nuclear power plant project of
Bangladesh. The bilateral relations of Bangladesh are mainly based
on trade activities. However, with certain countries, the relations
expand to other areas such as military cooperation, cultural
exchange etc.AsiaSouth AsiaBangladesh maintains friendly relations
with Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and strongly opposed
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Bangladesh and Nepal recently
agreed to facilitate land transit between the two countries.
CountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations BeganNotes
AfghanistanIslamic Republic of AfghanistanSee
Afghanistan-Bangladesh relations
Ties between Afghanistan and Bangladesh goes back before the
emergence of their modern political borders sharing historical,
cultural and trade relations. In 1971, the Kingdom of Afghanistan
was one of the first Muslim countries to recognize the independence
of Bangladesh, along with Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia. They
share similar views on international issues such as combating
terrorism and increased regional cooperation. A Bangladeshi NGO,
BRAC is a part of the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan
particularly in microfinance and in 2007 the Afghan ambassador to
Bangladesh, Ahmed Karim Nawabi had stated that Afghanistan is
interested in recruiting manpower from Bangladesh.[8]
PakistanIslamic Republic of PakistanSee Bangladesh-Pakistan
relations
The Bangladesh-Pakistan relationship is yet to be at a level
that may be called warm. However since full diplomatic relations
were implemented in January 1976, it has shown improvement in
bilateral relations concerning commerce, culture and trade and
making reconciliatory agreements.
Landmarks in their reconciliation are:
An August 1973 agreement between Bangladesh and Pakistan on the
repatriation of numerous individuals, including 90,000 Pakistani
prisoners of war stranded in Bangladesh as a result of the 1971
conflict;
A February 1974 accord by Bangladesh and Pakistan on mutual
diplomatic recognition, followed more than 2 years later by
establishment of formal diplomatic relations on January 18,
1976
The organization by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) of an airlift that moved almost 250,000 Bengalis
from Pakistan to Bangladesh, and non-Bengalis from Bangladesh to
Pakistan; and
Exchanges of high-level visits, including a visit by Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto to Bangladesh in 1989 and visits by Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia to Pakistan in 1992 and in 1995.
Issues need resolving:
Division of assets from the pre-1971 period[citation needed]
Repatriation of 250,000 ethnic Biharis known as "Stranded
Pakistanis"
Possibly the most important and most sensitive issue is the
Question of Pakistan's apology for the genocide in 1971 which has
led to the breakdown of numerous talks between the two.[citation
needed]
Sri LankaDemocratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaSee
Bangladesh Sri Lanka relations
Relations are historically tied together even beyond the
sub-continent's colonisation by the British. Sri Lanka's first King
(to be mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles) was alleged to
have ancestors from the Vanga Kingdom which occupied an area now
known as Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Buddhist minority gifted Sri
Lanka with a few strands of hair said to have belonged to Buddha as
a sign of goodwill. It is a worshipped object on Poya Day, a
Buddhist public holiday in Sri Lanka.[26]In August 2008, both Heads
of States discussed the implementation of new air links in hope of
increasing trade, investment and stronger cultural links. Sri
Lanka's current investments have been in Bangladesh's garment and
banking sector and expect to diversify into different areas.
Bangladesh also hosts a number of Sri Lankan medical students and
cricket as a form of friendly communications between their
people.[27]There has been discussion to increase bilateral
relations, cooperation between the two navies and sending Sri
Lankan Naval personal to study in Bangladesh.[28]
MalaysiaMalaysiaSee Bangladesh-Malaysia relations
Malaysia was one of the first Muslim states along with Indonesia
to recognise Bangladesh and since then the two have seen a rapid
growth of cooperation between them. Malaysia offers economic and
technical assistance, trade and investment while Bangladesh offers
a cheap labour workforce for areas such as construction.
Malaysia is the largest ASEAN investor in Bangladesh and
Malaysian companies have invested $1.3 billion in 59 projects in
2007 in areas such as telecommunications, textiles and financial
sector. However the trade balance is overwhelmingly in Malaysia's
favour, during the 2006-07 fiscal year, exports were a mere $16.9
million compared to $384.16 million in imports. Trading between the
two nations are increasing especially in pharmaceutical exports
with a number businesses are calling for a Free Trade Agreement to
balance out the trade deficit.
Many Malaysian companies have shown keen interest to participate
in infrastructure projects here such as power generation, sea port
development, waste disposal system, construction of roads and
highways as well as in the service sector such as education and
healthcare. Malaysia said will continue to contribute positive
efforts to promote and expand bilateral relations with Bangladesh,
particularly in trade and investment. Pending projects like the
Dhaka-Chittagong highway, worth $1.2 billion, power generation,
port development etc. would be completed.
Malaysia and Bangladesh recently agreed to signing a Memorandum
of Understanding in a tackle against money laundering from
Bangladesh to Malaysia. The signatories are the financial
intelligence units of the central banks from both nations with one
aspect of the deal being that any Bangladeshi comes under suspicion
they will gain information from Malaysia freely.[31]Bangladesh and
Malaysia are also members of Developing 8, OIC, the Commonwealth of
Nations, Like Minded Group and Non-Aligned Movement show that the
two have similar views on regional and international issues.
Issue of labor force administration in Malaysia has somewhat
strained the bilateral ties temporarily. In 2007 Malaysia banned
imports of Bangladeshi workers into the country after hundreds of
them were stranded at an airport because their employers failed to
collect them. There were demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur by
Bangladeshi workers demanding payments and better conditions. This
created a crisis in the bilateral ties but issue has been resolved
with the interference of the governments. The government had placed
a similar restriction in 1999 but lifted the ban in 2011 by
approving an initial intake of 300,000 workers.[32]
BurmaRepublic of the Union of MyanmarSee BangladeshBurma
relations
Bilateral ties with Myanmar are good, despite occasional border
strains and an influx of more than 270,000 Muslim refugees (known
as "Rohingya") from predominantly Buddhist Burma. As a result of
bilateral discussions, and with the cooperation and assistance of
the UNHCR, most of the Rohingya refugees have now returned to
Burma[citation needed]. As of 2000, about 22,000 refugees remain in
camps in southern Bangladesh.
At the 2008 ASEAN Regional forum summit in Singapore, Bangladesh
and Myanmar have pledged to solve their maritime boundary disputes
as quickly as possible especially that a UN deadline in claiming
maritime territories will expire in three years time.[33]Both
countries discussed the possibility of linking the two countries
together in an attempt to boost their trade and commerce relations.
The estimate to complete the 25km highway is three years and at the
cost of $20 million. Another aspect of this plan is to connect the
highway to the Asian Superhighway which would connect the two
countries to China.[34]
PhilippinesRepublic of the PhilippinesSee Bangladesh-Philippines
relations
Bangladesh and the Philippines have had a very close and
friendly relations since the birth of Bangladesh. The Philippines
supported the liberation of Bangladesh and recognized it on
February 24, 1972. The Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations
spoke in favor of the nation during its liberation struggle and
also during Bangladeshs admission to the United Nations in
1974.
SingaporeRepublic of SingaporeSee Bangladesh-Singapore
relations
The two nations are founders of the Asian Union. A sizable
number of Bangladeshi migrant workers are currently working in
labor-intensive jobs in Singapore.
East AsiaCountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations
BeganNotes
JapanJapanSee Bangladesh-Japan relations and Bangladeshis in
Japan
Bangladeshi-Japanese relations were established in February
1972.[35] Japan is Bangladesh's 11th-largest export market; imports
from Bangladesh make up 26% of all Japanese imports from the least
developed countries, second only to those from Cambodia. Common
imports from Bangladesh to Japan include leather goods, ready-made
garments, and shrimp.[36] By 2004, Japan had become Bangladesh's
fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment, behind the
United States, United Kingdom, and Malaysia. Japan's political
goals in its relationship with Bangladesh include gaining support
for their bid to join the United Nations Security Council, and
securing markets for their finished goods. Japan is a significant
source of development aid to Bangladesh.[37]
ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaSee BangladeshPeople's Republic
of China relations
Early relations with the People's Republic of China were cold
due to the rare use of China's veto at the United Nations Security
Council to block Bangladesh's accession to the United Nations.
Lately however China has made efforts to improve relations with
many of its neighbors. Trade with China reached a record level in
2006 of $3.2 billion under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Trade
Agreement (AFTA). The trade balance between the two countries are
in China's favour. China has also officially agreed to helping
Bangladesh on developing their nuclear power plant. Bangladesh has
also signed the Apsco convention with six other nations to form a
pact with China on space exploration.[42]
Central AsiaCountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations
BeganNotes
Western Asia (Middle East)
Main article: Bangladeshis in the Middle EastDuring the
Bangladesh Liberation War, the majority of conservative Arab
nations were against Bangladeshi liberation because India- a
non-Muslim nation was supporting break up of a Muslim country
(Pakistan). Although interestingly enough non-Arab Muslim nations
such as Indonesia and Turkey established relations quickly. In the
present, Bangladesh maintains relations to the Middle East through
many areas such as commerce, history, military and most importantly
religious ties which enabled the two to cooperate more easily then
compared to their Western or Far Eastern partners. Bangladesh
supplies over 1 million guest workers to Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, Kuwait and other Gulf countries. In turn most of
Bangladesh's oil is imported from this region.[44] Islamic
countries and charities provide economic aid usually to advance the
Islamic agenda, including funding mosques and madrassas.
During the Yom Kippur War, Bangladesh supported the Arabs and
Palestinians and sent a medical team and relief supply which was
appreciated. In return they enabled Bangladesh to become a member
of NAM at the Algiers Summit in 1973 and pressured Pakistan into
recognising Bangladesh in order to get Mujib to go to the 1974 OIC
Summit in Lahore, as he stated that was his only condition.
Bangladesh also took active part in trying to broker a ceasefire
between Iran and Iraq during their eight-year war as a member of
the United Nations Security Council and participating in the
UNIIMOG mission which they became Acting Head of in the last few
years before withdrawal. It later helped them to be elected into
the OIC Peace Committee.
Bangladesh strongly opposed the Israeli bombardment of South
Lebanon which killed approximately 1,191 civilians and described it
as "State Terrorism" and a double standard conflict going into
detail that a non-western nation would have been labelled a
terrorist and a western nation would have never been deemed a
terrorist.[45] They also temporarily contributed to the
peacekeeping effort after the 2006 Lebanon War by sending in
battalions of infantry. [46]CountryCountry (Official Name)Formal
Relations BeganNotes
BahrainKingdom of BahrainSee Bahrain-Bangladesh relations
IraqRepublic of IraqSee Bangladesh-Iraq relations
Iraq became the first Arab nation to recognise the independence
of Bangladesh.[47] Bangladesh and Iraq have missions located in
Baghdad and Dhaka, although Iraq closed theirs down after the Iraq
War began[48] but has expressed interest in reopening since
2011.[49]Bangladesh and Iraq's ties are primarily based on common
faith but there has not been much progression into areas such as
trade and investment. Between 1980 and 1986, Iraq sent five
officers to study in Bangladesh's military academy in Dhaka.[50]
The only notable visit between the two nations was Saddam Hussein's
visit to Bangladesh in 1988. The height of Bangladesh-Iraq
relations was during the 1980s due to Bangladesh's role in trying
to call for a ceasefire between Iraq and Iran during their war and
was a part of UNIIMOG. Relations quickly deteriorated after Iraq
invaded Kuwait sparking the Gulf War and a huge rise in oil prices.
Bangladesh responded to the UN resolution demanding Iraq withdraw
by the deadline or face military action. Bangladesh's other reasons
for participation was because of the Bangladeshi community in
Kuwait who some work on oil rigs and Kuwait is Bangladesh's oil
supplier. Compared to Iraq's relation to its neighbours and the
West, their relations with Bangladesh were considered satisfactory
and this was displayed by deploying two engineer battalions rather
than infantries to directly engage Iraqi troops.
Relations between Baghdad and Dhaka would later improve after
the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 when Bangladesh declined to send
troops to Iraq despite America's persistence and stating that the
UN should have had a primary role in solving the matter before the
war.[51]
HYPERLINK
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Bangladesh" \l
"cite_note-52" [52] Currently they want a complete withdrawal from
Iraq and has expressed support for reconstruction efforts. The
public in Bangladesh have repeatedly held large demonstrations
against the war.[53]
IranIslamic Republic of IranSee Bangladesh-Iran relations
Immediately after the independence of Bangladesh, many non-Arab
nations quickly recognised the new country. However, due to the
strong pro-US attitude of the Shah and helping to transport weapons
to West Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Iran,
however, established diplomatic relations with independent
Bangladesh in early 1972. A turning point in relations was during
the Iraq-Iran War when Bangladesh as a UN Security Council member
tried to broker a ceasefire between the nations and settle their
disputes with dialogue. Eventually, Bangladesh would participate in
UNIIMOG mission to observe that agreements such as a ceasefire had
been honoured.
This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect
recent events or newly available information. (December 2013)In
1995, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani became the first President of Iran
to visit Bangladesh. The current president, Hassan Rouhani is
looking to strengthen relations with countries in South Asia such
as Bangladesh by increasing Iranian investment like building oil
refineries. In return, Bangladesh is supporting Iran's rights to
its Nuclear Program for Peaceful Purposes. In 2006, both countries
signed a preferential trade accord which removes non-tariff
barriers, hoping to take it further to a free trade agreement[54]
and in 2007, Bangladesh has requested Iranian assistance on
building its nuclear power plant and to import raw fish.[55]Both
countries are members of Developing 8 Countries, OIC, Like Minded
Group. They have generally similar views on world issues especially
on the occupation of Palestine.
PalestinePalestineSee Bangladesh-Palestine relations
Relations between Bangladesh and Palestine are considered to be
warm and cordial as Bangladesh advocates for an independent
Palestinian state and an end to 'Israeli' occupation. Bangladesh is
one of the 135 countries to recognise Palestine as a state since
the Palestinian Declaration of Independence on November 15, 1988.
The first high-level meeting between the two was in 1974 at the
second OIC summit in Lahore, Pakistan between Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
and Yasser Arafat. Since then there have been high level contact
such as Yasser Arafat's visits in 1981 and 1987 who was warmly
received by both former presidents Ziaur Rahman and Hossain
Mohammad Ershad with favourable media coverage. Later when
democracy returned to Bangladesh, Arafat was also received warmly
by Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia[56] and Sheikh Hasina. There is a
wide public support for an independent Palestine as the Government
had reported in 1987 that 8,000 had volunteered for the PLO
although there had never been any official moves to send weapons or
personnel.[57] However, it has been reported that some Bangladeshis
have travelled to Lebanon to join Palestinian battles against
Israel. Since the 1980s, under IMET (International Military
Education and Training) there have been development of military
ties between the PLO and Bangladesh with the former attending one
year courses at the Bangladesh Military Academy near
Chittagong.[58] Palestine are represented in Bangladesh by the
Embassy of the State of Palestine that has been established in
Dhaka. Bangladesh also provided material help to establish the
diplomatic mission.[59]
Saudi ArabiaKingdom of Saudi ArabiaSee Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia
relations
Early relations between Riyadh and Dhaka where somewhat dormant
owing to the former capital's country's close bond with
Bangladesh's historical provider, Pakistan. From mid-1970s onward
Bangladesh was seeking closer ties with oil rich Arab states such
as Saudi Arabia. After the 1982 coup by Ershad, he visited Riyadh
to meet with the King. Nine months later a ten member delegation of
the Saudi military arrived in Bangladesh to discuss possible
military ties and inspect its facilities. There was a rumour
persisting amongst the press that the Saudis were considering to
station a division of the Bangladesh army in the Kingdom (15,000
personnel). It was reported as a proposal by Ziaur Rahman although
both governments deny this, the rumour continued into Ershad's
rule.[58] Since 1981, Saudi Arabia has sent 77 officers to the
Defense Services Command & Staff College in Dhaka, which is the
college's largest number of overseas graduates from a single
nation.[60]Bangladesh is seeking to increase economic ties with
Saudi Arabia in order to reduce the trade deficit currently in the
Kingdom's favour. One of their proposals is to export ceramics,
leather and pharmaceutical products to the Kingdom as they are
already doing with the western nations.[61]
AfricaBangladesh's presence in Africa is mostly due to their
large contribution to the peacekeeping forces present around the
continent such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Sudan
(Darfur) and Somalia. Bangladesh can foster ties based on its
history such as nations in Southeast Africa where there is a South
Asian population (whose ancestors immigrated there during the
British Empire). In countries such as Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone,
Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been honoured. In Sierra Leone,
Bengali have been declared a state language.[62] It is currently
trying to increase ties with the southern economic bloc in Southern
Africa with nations such as Zimbabwe.[63]CountryCountry (Official
Name)Formal Relations BeganNotes
South AfricaRepublic of South AfricaSee Bangladesh-South Africa
relations
Relations began during the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in
1994, and full diplomatic relations were implemented on 10
September 1994.
Due to the brutality and the White Supremacist ideology of the
Apartheid regime, relations between South Africa and Bangladesh
were non-existent until the collapse of white minority rule and
Nelson Mandela's rise to power. There is a number of Bangladeshis
which make up the South Asian community in South Africa and
immigration still continues, although it has temporarily halted due
to attacks against foreign workers.
Bangladesh exports its raw materials such as leather, finished
jute and also garments and textiles. South Africa exports to
Bangladesh are iron ore, steel, aluminium, infrastructure projects
and machinery and equipment for railways.
CountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations BeganNotes
AustraliaCommonwealth of AustraliaSee Australia-Bangladesh
relations
Australia and Bangladesh enjoy good relations since Australia
was the first western nation and the fourth in the world to
recognise Bangladesh opening its embassy in Dhaka in 1972. There is
also a Bangladeshi community present in the country.
EuropeEuropean countries, particularly from Scandinavia, provide
significant economic assistance to Bangladesh.
European UnionMain article: Bangladesh-European Union
relations
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh" \o
"Bangladesh"
INCLUDEPICTURE
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png"
\* MERGEFORMATINET
Bangladesh's relations with the European Union and its member
states remained a priority area in the foreign policy context. A
number of achievements were made in the economic field during that
brief period. At present EU is the top export destination of
Bangladesh's products (48% of the total product). The International
Jute Study Groupwhich comprises the EU, Bangladesh, and Indiais
established in Dhaka. Bangladesh successfully participated in World
Apparel Fair, European Seafood Exposition, Bangladesh Trade Show in
Moscow and Kiev.
CountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations BeganNotes
DenmarkKingdom of DenmarkSee Bangladesh-Denmark relations
Denmark have an embassy in Dhaka. Bangladesh is represented
through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Bangladesh has been part
of the Danish development assistance since its independence in
1971. Danish development helps Bangladesh with transport, water
transport, agriculture, fisheries and rural development.
Denmark supports Human Rights and Civil Society in Bangladesh.
In 1975, an agreement on boat building and mechanization was
signed. In 1978, both countries signed an agreement on a fish
marketing scheme.
FranceFrench RepublicSee Bangladesh-France relations
France and Bangladesh share an amicable relationship. In 1991,
France cancelled Bangladesh's public debt (FRF 598M) as a gesture
of goodwill. Trade between the two remains in Bangladesh's favour
with France being its fourth biggest customer in 2005 (5.9% of
Bangladeshi exports). France has many direct investments in the
country such as the Lafarge cement plant[74] in Chatak and has
recently shown interest in aiding Bangladesh with the development
of a nuclear power plant for civilian purposes.
GermanyFederal Republic of GermanySee
Bangladesh-Germanyrelations
After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, East Germany was
the third country in the world, and the first country in Europe, to
officially recognise Bangladesh in 1972.[75] Bangladesh also warmly
greeted German reunification. As an economic power as well as an
important member of the European Union (EU), Germany is a reliable
partner of Bangladesh in development cooperation. Since
independence, German churches and numerous non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) made tremendous efforts to promote the social
and economic development of Bangladesh. German assistance to
Bangladesh is received in the form of development efforts, trade
and cultural cooperation. Both countries have a long and successful
bilateral relationship on most international issues. Germany always
emphasises the democratic characteristics, governance issues and
development process of Bangladesh.
After establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral
relations between the two countries began to grow steadily. Between
the start of development cooperation in 1972 and the end of 2005,
Bangladesh received approximately 2.3 billion in commitments from
Germany as part of bilateral financial and technical cooperation,
in addition of the funds provided by the German churches and NGOs.
At an intergovernmental negotiation in 2005, Bangladesh received 14
million in new commitments from Germany. Since 1978, all German
funds provided as part of government level cooperation have been in
the form of non-repayable grants.
Bangladesh is a priority partner country of German Development
Cooperation (GTZ). By an agreement between both the government
adopted in May 2004, the activities of the GTZ focus on three
priority areas such as healthcare including family planning,
economic reform and development of the market system through
promotion of private sector, especially small and medium
enterprises (SMEs), and renewable energies. Among the other ongoing
projects the promotion of legal and social empowerment of women in
Bangladesh is also to be mentioned. The sustainable economic
development programme of GTZ in Bangladesh contributes to the
competitiveness of the ready-made garments (RMG) sector, as well as
other export-oriented sectors like silk, leather and jute.
In trade with Germany, Bangladesh has for years recorded a large
surplus. Germany is the second largest export market of Bangladesh
after the US. Bangladesh exports in Germany in 2006 amounted to
1.56 billion as compared with Bangladesh imports in the same period
of only 305 million. About 94% of the exports from Bangladesh to
Germany are RMGs and Bangladesh imports mainly comprising
machinery, chemical and electrical goods, and medicines. A
German-Bangladeshi investment promotion and protection agreement
has been in force since 1986 and a bilateral double taxation accord
since 1993. So far German direct investments in Bangladesh are
almost 60 million. The Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (BGCCI) acts as a business platform and mediator between
both the countries.
The cultural relationship of both the countries is very strong.
The cultural cooperation between them is mainly channeled through
the Goethe Institute that work on developing the cultural ties
between both the countries by sponsoring local and German cultural
activities. Bangladesh has traditional and historical connection
with Germany. There is a century-old exchange between German and
Bengali people. German interest in the culture of Bengal dates back
to the visits to Germany by the Bengali national poet and Nobel
laureate for literature Rabindranath Tagore in the 1920s and 1930s.
Many Bangladeshi intellectuals take a keen and informed interest in
German literature, art, architecture and philosophy. In Bangladesh
Goethe Institute is the main meeting place for all those interested
in Germany.
Goethe-Institute Dhaka with headquarters in Munich offers a
broad variety of cultural events to present the German culture in
Bangladesh through its main activities by film-workshops,
film-presentations, seminars and lectures on socio-political
subjects as well as on aspects on contemporary arts, theatre
performances, and exhibitions of German and Bangladeshi
artists.
Bangladesh has traditional and historical connection with
Germany, and both the countries enjoy closest ties. There are
increasing contracts amongst German and Bangladeshi artists,
primarily in the fine arts, photography/film and theatre.
Bangladeshi artists have been able to exhibit in German galleries
and museums. A number of visual artists from Bangladesh have also
made Germany their new home. Germany continues to promote the
restoration of historical monuments, archaeological research and
the unique legacy of the Bengali catamarans. Since 1981, a
cooperation agreement has been in place between Radio Bangladesh
and Deutsche Welle (DW).
The bilateral commercial and trade interests of both the
countries are continuing, although there is considerable scope for
greater engagement. Bilateral relations got some momentum by
several high level visits, contracts, and political and economic
dialogue. In December 2000, the then head of the government of
Bangladesh officially visited Germany. In February 2004, a German
nine-member parliamentary delegation also visited Bangladesh.
Both Germany and Bangladesh share common views on various
international issues and work together in the UN and in other
international forum. They have maintained and developed close and
friendly relations in a wide range of field. The two countries are
harmonized together by their commitment to various sectors mutually
agreed upon, which is expected to be strengthened further in
future.
GreeceHellenic RepublicSee Bangladesh-Greece relations
ItalyItalian RepublicSee BangladeshItaly relations
Relations between two countries have been wonderful. Bangladesh
is a huge import market for Italy. Italy has an embassy in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has an Embassy in Rome. Relations have been warm. Italy
is one of the biggest export partner of Bangladesh.
United KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern
Ireland (UK)See BangladeshUnited Kingdom relations and British
Bangladeshi
The ties between Britain and Bangladesh date back to the British
Raj. During the Bangladesh Liberation War Britain offered shelter
to diplomats and people who escaped the conflict. The government,
politicians and the media were also critical of the atrocities and
shown empathy for the Mukti Bahini. On February 4, 1972 Britain
recognised Bangladesh, this eventually led to recognition from
other European and Commonwealth nations and Bangladesh's induction
into the Commonwealth on April 18, 1972. Britain holds the largest
Bangladeshi diaspora in the western world, now numbered at around
500,000, most of them can trace their ties to the region of Sylhet.
Britain also holds the largest open air Asian festival in Europe
called Baishakhi Mela, a Bangladeshi event held in London.
There has been numerous delegation visits since Foreign
Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home visited Bangladesh in June 1972.
The first visit by a prime minister was James Callaghan in 1978.
Other prime ministers who had visited Bangladesh are John Major in
a 3-day visit between 1012 January 1997 and Tony Blair in 2002.
Presidents and Prime Ministers of Bangladesh such as Sheikh Mujib,
Ziaur Rahman and Fakhruddin Ahmed have visited the UK.
In March 2008, Fakhruddin Ahmed had visited Number 10 to discuss
increasing British investment and cooperation in defence and trade,
especially on counter-terrorism and duty-free access for LDCs.[77]
Britain is the largest foreign investor in Bangladesh and the third
biggest export destination for Bangladeshi goods after USA and
Germany.
At the 7th ISS Asia Security Summit (also known as Shangri-La
Dialogue) in Singapore, Bangladesh's Foreign advisor Iftekhar Ahmed
Chowdhury met with UK's Defence Minister Des Browne at the
sidelines to discuss security and defense relations between the two
countries. Browne says he hoped that Bangladesh's modernising
values can reach the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK.[78]
North AmericaCountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations
BeganNotes
CanadaCanadaSee Bangladesh-Canada Relation and Bangladeshi
Canadian
Relations between the two countries are positive and there are
approximately 24,595 Canadians of Bangladeshi origin living in
Canada.
United StatesUnited States of America4 April 1972See
Bangladesh-United States relations and Bangladeshi American
The United States is an aid donor to Bangladesh. It provides
assistance during natural calamities. In the post 9/11 scenario,
American policy-makers expressed support for moderation in
Bangladesh. The US State Department voiced support for free
elections before 2008 ends. Approximately 150,000 citizens are of
Bangladeshi origin with the majority in professional jobs.
Bangladesh has an embassy in Washington, DC and has
consulates-general in Los Angeles and New York City.[81] United
States has an embassy in Dhaka.[82]
South AmericaCountryCountry (Official Name)Formal Relations
BeganNotes
ArgentinaArgentine RepublicSee ArgentinaBangladesh relations
BrazilFederative Republic of BrazilSee Bangladesh-Brazil
relations
Bangladesh's only embassy in South America is located in Brazil.
Trade is the primary part of their relations exporting raw
materials such as metals from its open mines and importing
pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh.[citation needed]
Disputes - international
India
6.5km of the border between India and Bangladesh remains to be
demarcated.
Ongoing discussions with Bangladesh to exchange 162 minuscule
enclaves between the two.
Maritime boundary dispute.
Pakistan
Pre-1971 resource distribution.
Relocating Bihari Paksitanis who are left behind since 1971.
Apologizing for 1971 massacre.
Syrian Civil War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"War in Syria" redirects here. For other wars in Syria, see
Syrian War (disambiguation).
The Syrian Civil War (Arabic: ) also (Arabic: The Syrian
Crisis), also known as the Syrian Uprising, is an ongoing armed
conflict taking place in Syria. The unrest began in the early
spring of 2011 within the context of Arab Spring protests, with
nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government,
whose forces responded with violent crackdowns. The conflict
gradually morphed from prominent protests to an armed rebellion
after months of military sieges.[67]The armed opposition consists
of various groups that were formed during the course of the
conflict, primarily the Free Syrian Army, which was the first to
take up arms in 2011, and the Islamic Front formed in 2013. In
2013, Hezbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian
army.[68]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-AlNusraDaraa-69" [69] In the east, the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a jihadist militant group originating
from Iraq, made rapid military gains in both Syria and Iraq,
eventually conflicting with the other rebels. In July 2014, ISIL
controlled a third of Syria's territory and most of its oil and gas
production, thus establishing itself as the major opposition
force.[70]By July 2013, the Syrian government was in control of
approximately 3040% of the country's territory and 60% of the
Syrian population.[71] A United Nations report in late 2012
described the conflict as being "overtly sectarian in nature",
between mostly Alawite government forces, militias and other Shia
groups[72] fighting largely against Sunni-dominated rebel
groups,[73]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-UNSectarian-74" [74] although both opposition and
government forces have denied it.[75]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-76" [76] Due to foreign involvement this conflict has
been called a proxy war.[77]As of January 2015 the death toll had
risen above 220,000.[78] International organizations have accused
the Syrian government, ISIS and other opposition forces of severe
human rights violations, with many massacres occurring.[79]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-80" [80]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-theguardian.com-81" [81]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-UN-20120524-82" [82]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-83" [83] Chemical weapons have been used many times
during the conflict as well.[84] The Syrian government is
reportedly responsible for the majority of civilian casualties,
often through bombings.[79]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-theguardian.com-81" [81]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-85" [85] In addition, tens of thousands of protesters
and activists have been imprisoned and there are reports of torture
in state prisons.[86]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-87" [87]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-88" [88]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-89" [89]The severity of the humanitarian disaster in
Syria has been outlined by the UN and many international
organizations. More than 6.5 million Syrians have been displaced,
approaching 4 million Syrians have fled the country to countries
such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt and become
refugees, and millions more have been left in poor living
conditions with shortages of food and drinking water. Additionally,
in the territories controlled by the government, the population has
to suffer many hardships: from severe scarcity of electricity, to a
critical economic situation (e.g. the prices have skyrocketed due
to the collapse of the Syrian pound, leading, as well, to a
critical rise in unemployment), to control of the population
movements through security checkpoints. The latter is also utilized
by the regime to arrest, execute or torture to death whoever is
deemed sympathizer of the opposition groups or is planning to leave
the country in order not to join the regime's army.[90] At the end
of August 2014, 35,000 refugees were awaiting registration, while
estimates of several hundred thousand more were not included in
official figures as they were unregistered.
Syrian Civil War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"War in Syria" redirects here. For other wars in Syria, see
Syrian War (disambiguation).
The Syrian Civil War (Arabic: ) also (Arabic: The Syrian
Crisis), also known as the Syrian Uprising, is an ongoing armed
conflict taking place in Syria. The unrest began in the early
spring of 2011 within the context of Arab Spring protests, with
nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government,
whose forces responded with violent crackdowns. The conflict
gradually morphed from prominent protests to an armed rebellion
after months of military sieges.[67]The armed opposition consists
of various groups that were formed during the course of the
conflict, primarily the Free Syrian Army, which was the first to
take up arms in 2011, and the Islamic Front formed in 2013. In
2013, Hezbollah entered the war in support of the Syrian
army.[68]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-AlNusraDaraa-69" [69] In the east, the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a jihadist militant group originating
from Iraq, made rapid military gains in both Syria and Iraq,
eventually conflicting with the other rebels. In July 2014, ISIL
controlled a third of Syria's territory and most of its oil and gas
production, thus establishing itself as the major opposition
force.[70]By July 2013, the Syrian government was in control of
approximately 3040% of the country's territory and 60% of the
Syrian population.[71] A United Nations report in late 2012
described the conflict as being "overtly sectarian in nature",
between mostly Alawite government forces, militias and other Shia
groups[72] fighting largely against Sunni-dominated rebel
groups,[73]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-UNSectarian-74" [74] although both opposition and
government forces have denied it.[75]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-76" [76] Due to foreign involvement this conflict has
been called a proxy war.[77]As of January 2015 the death toll had
risen above 220,000.[78] International organizations have accused
the Syrian government, ISIS and other opposition forces of severe
human rights violations, with many massacres occurring.[79]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-80" [80]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-theguardian.com-81" [81]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-UN-20120524-82" [82]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-83" [83] Chemical weapons have been used many times
during the conflict as well.[84] The Syrian government is
reportedly responsible for the majority of civilian casualties,
often through bombings.[79]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-theguardian.com-81" [81]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-85" [85] In addition, tens of thousands of protesters
and activists have been imprisoned and there are reports of torture
in state prisons.[86]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-87" [87]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-88" [88]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War" \l
"cite_note-89" [89]The severity of the humanitarian disaster in
Syria has been outlined by the UN and many international
organizations. More than 6.5 million Syrians have been displaced,
approaching 4 million Syrians have fled the country to countries
such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt and become
refugees, and millions more have been left in poor living
conditions with shortages of food and drinking water. Additionally,
in the territories controlled by the government, the population has
to suffer many hardships: from severe scarcity of electricity, to a
critical economic situation (e.g. the prices have skyrocketed due
to the collapse of the Syrian pound, leading, as well, to a
critical rise in unemployment), to control of the population
movements through security checkpoints. The latter is also utilized
by the regime to arrest, execute or torture to death whoever is
deemed sympathizer of the opposition groups or is planning to leave
the country in order not to join the regime's army.[90] At the end
of August 2014, 35,000 refugees were awaiting registration, while
estimates of several hundred thousand more were not included in
official figures as they were unregistered.
Wall Street
The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, the world's largest
stock exchange per total market capitalization of its listed
companies.[1]Wall Street is a 0.7-mile-long (1.1km) street running
eight blocks, roughly northwest to southeast, from Broadway to
South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan in the Financial
District of New York City.[2] Over time, the term has become a
metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole,
the American financial sector (even if financial firms are not
physically located there), or signifying New York-based financial
interests.[3] Anchored by Wall Street, New York City has been
called both the most economically powerful city and the leading
financial center of the world,[4]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street" \l
"cite_note-WorldEconomicAndFinancialSuperCenter-5" [5]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street" \l
"cite_note-6" [6]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street" \l
"cite_note-7" [7]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street" \l
"cite_note-8" [8] and the city is home to the world's two largest
stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock
Exchange and NASDAQ.[9]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street" \l
"cite_note-NYSEhighestcap-1" [1] Several other major exchanges have
or had headquarters in the Wall Street area, including the New York
Mercantile Exchange, the New York Board of Trade, and the former
American Stock Exchange.
Tariff- A tariff is a tax on imports or exports (an
international trade tariff). In other languages and very
occasionally in English, "tariff" or its equivalent may also be
used to describe any list of prices (electrical tariff, etc.).
A value-added tax (VAT) or also General Sales tax (GST) is a
form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a
tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax
only on the value added to a product, material, or service, from an
accounting point of view, by this stage of its manufacture or
distribution. The manufacturer remits to the government the
difference between these two amounts, and retains the rest for
themselves to offset the taxes they had previously paid on the
inputs.The purpose of VAT is to generate tax revenues to the
government similar to the corporate income tax or the personal
income tax.The value added to a product by or with a business is
the sale price charged to its customer, minus the cost of materials
and other taxable inputs. A VAT is like a sales tax in that
ultimately only the end consumer is taxed. It differs from the
sales tax in that, with the latter, the tax is collected and
remitted to the government only once, at the point of purchase by
the end consumer. With the VAT, collections, remittances to the
government, and credits for taxes already paid occur each time a
business in the supply chain purchases products.
SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA)
In December 1991, the Sixth Summit held in Colombo approved the
establishment of an Inter-Governmental Group (IGG) to formulate an
agreement to establish a SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement
(SAPTA) by 1997. Given the consensus within SAARC, the Agreement on
SAPTAwas signed on 11 April 1993 and entered into force on 7
December 1995 well in advance of the date stipulated by the Colombo
Summit. The Agreement reflected the desire of the Member States to
promote and sustain mutual trade and economic cooperation within
the SAARC region through the exchange of concessions.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is
an economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries that
are primarily located in South Asia.[12] The SAARC Secretariat is
based in Kathmandu, Nepal.[13] The combined economy of SAARC is the
3rd largest in the world in the terms of GDP(PPP) after the United
States and China and 5th largest in the terms of nominal GDP. SAARC
nations comprise 3% of the world's area and contain 21% (around 1.7
billion) of the world's total population and around 9.12% of Global
economy as of 2015. India makes up over 70% of the area and
population among these eight nations. All non-Indian member states
except Afghanistan share borders with India but only two other
members, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have a border with each other.
During 2005-10, the average GDP growth rate of SAARC stood at an
impressive 8.8% p.a., but it slowed to 6.5% in 2011 largely because
of economic slowdown in India, which accounts for nearly 80% of
SAARC's economy.But Driven by a strong expansion in India, coupled
with favorable oil prices,from the last quarter of 2014 South Asia
become the fastest-growing region in the world[14].The idea of
regional political and economical cooperation in South Asia was
first raised in 2 May 1980 by Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman and
the first summit was held in Dhaka on 8 December 1985, when the
organisation was established by the governments of Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[15]
HYPERLINK
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_Association_for_Regional_Cooperation"
\l "cite_note-SAARC_Summit_press.2C_1st_Summit-16" [16] Since then
the organisation has expanded by accepting one new full member,
Afghanistan,[17] and several observer members.[15]The SAARC
policies aim to promote welfare economics, collective self-reliance
among the countries of South Asia, and to accelerate socio-cultural
development in the region.[18] The SAARC has developed external
relations by establishing permanent diplomatic relations with the
EU, the UN (as an observer), and other multilateral entities.[18]
The official meetings of the leaders of each nation are held
annually whilst the foreign ministers meet twice annually.[18] The
18th SAARC Summit was held in Kathmandu from 2627 November
2014.
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal
importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people
by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state
occasions, especially where diplomats are present. It can also be
used in the context of decorations, medals and awards.
Historically, the order of precedence had a more widespread use,
especially in court and aristocratic life.
One's position in an order of precedence is not necessarily an
indication of functional importance, but rather an indication of
ceremonial or historical relevance; for instance, it may dictate
where dignitaries are seated at formal dinners. The term is
occasionally used to mean the order of succession to determine who
replaces the head of state in the event he or she is removed from
office or incapacitated.
What follows are the general orders of precedence for different
countries for state purposes, such as diplomatic dinners, and are
made under the assumption that such functions are held in the
capital. When they are held in another city or region, local
officials such as governors would be much higher up the order.
There may also be more specific and local orders of precedence, for
particular occasions or within particular institutions.
Universities and the professions often have their own rules of
precedence applying locally, based (for example) on university or
professional rank, each rank then being ordered within itself on
the basis of seniority (i.e. date of attaining that rank). Within
an institution the officials of that institution are likely to rank
much higher in the order than in a general order of precedence -
the chancellor or president of a university may well precede anyone
except a head of state for example. The same might be true for a
mayor in his own city.
The Commonwealth of Nations, commonly known as the Commonwealth
(formerly the British Commonwealth),[1] is an intergovernmental
organisation of 53 member states[2] that were mostly territories of
the former British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by
intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through
the Commonwealth Secretariat, and non-governmental organisations,
organised through the Commonwealth Foundation.[3]The Commonwealth
dates back to the mid 20th century with the decolonisation of the
British Empire through increased self-governance of its
territories. It was formally constituted by the London Declaration
in 1949, which established the member states as "free and
equal".[4] The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth
II who is the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is also the
monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth
realms. The other members of the Commonwealth have different
persons as head of state: 32 members are republics and five members
are monarchies with a different monarch.Member states have no legal
obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language,
history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human
rights, and the rule of law.[3] These values are enshrined in the
Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth
Games. On 3 October 2013, after 48 years of membership, Gambia
became the most recent nation to withdraw from the Commonwealth.The
Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050km2 (11,566,870sqmi),
almost a quarter of the world land area, and spans all the
continents. With an estimated population of 2.328 billion, near a
third of the world population,[7] the Commonwealth in 2014 produced
a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $10.45 trillion,
representing 17% of the gross world product when measured in
purchasing power parity (PPP) and 14% of the gross world product
when measured nominally.
The Group of Seven (G7, formerly G8) is a governmental forum of
leading advanced economies in the world. It was originally formed
by six leading industrial countries and subsequently extended with
two additional members, one of which, Russia, is suspended.[1]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l
"cite_note-deljpn-2" [2]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-3"
[3]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-4" [4]
Since 2014, the G8 in effect comprises seven nations and the
European Union as the eighth member.
The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that
brought together representatives of six governments: France, West
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States,
thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became
known as the Group of Seven or G7 in 1976 with the addition of
Canada. The G7 is composed of the seven wealthiest developed
countries on earth (by national net wealth or by GDP[5]), and it
remained active even during the period of the G8. Russia was added
to the group from 1998 to 2014, which then became known as the G8.
The European Union was represented within the G8 since the 1980s
but could not host or chair summits.[6] The 40th summit was the
first time the European Union was able to host and chair a
summit."G8" can refer to the member states in aggregate or to the
annual summit meeting of the G8 heads of government. The former
term, G6, is now frequently applied to the six most populous
countries within the European Union. G8 ministers also meet
throughout the year, such as the G7 finance ministers (who meet
four times a year), G8 foreign ministers, or G8 environment
ministers.Collectively, in 2012 the G8 nations composed 50.1
percent of 2012 global nominal GDP and 40.9 percent of global GDP
(PPP). Each calendar year the responsibility of hosting the G8 is
rotated through the member states in the following order: France,
United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and
Canada. The holder of the presidency sets the agenda, hosts the
summit for that year, and determines which ministerial meetings
will take place. Both France and the United Kingdom have expressed
a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries,
referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil (7th
country in the world by nominal GDP,[5]) People's Republic of China
(2nd country in the world by GDP,[5]) India (10th country in the
world by GDP,[7]) Mexico, and South Africa. These countries have
participated as guests in meetings that are sometimes called
G8+5.With the G-20 major economies growing in stature since the
2008 Washington summit, world leaders from the group announced at
their Pittsburgh summit on September 25, 2009, that the group would
replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy
nations.[8]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-9" [9]
Today, G8 meetings are held with the purpose of discussing global
issues such as economic growth, crisis management, global security,
energy, and terrorism without the governments of the developing
nations, who have their own major forum (BRICS).[10]On March 24,
2014, the original G7 nations voted to, in effect, suspend Russia
from the organization in response to the country's annexation of
Crimea;[11]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-12"
[12]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-13"
[13] however, it was made clear that the suspension was
temporary.[14] Later on, the Italian Foreign Affairs minister
Federica Mogherini and other Italian authorities,[15]
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-16"
[16] along with the EastWest Institute board member Wolfgang
Ischinger,[17] suggested that Russia may restore its membership in
the group, adding that the return to the G8 format depends on
Moscow and on Russian actions.
The 6 Points:
The six points are noted as being: 1.The constitution should
provide for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense based on the
parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a Legislature
directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise. 2.The
federal government should deal with only two subjects: Defence and
Foreign Affairs, and all other residual subjects should be vested
in the federating states. 3.Two separate, but freely convertible
currencies for two wings should be introduced; or if this is not
feasible, there should be one currency for the whole country, but
effective constitutional provisions should be introduced to stop
the flight of capital from East to West Pakistan. Furthermore, a
separate Banking Reserve should be established and separate fiscal
and monetary policy be adopted for East Pakistan. 4.The power of
taxation and revenue collection should be vested in the federating
units and the federal centre would have no such power. The
federation would be entitled to a share in the state taxes to meet
its expenditures. 5.There should be two separate accounts for the
foreign exchange earnings of the two wings; the foreign exchange
requirements of the federal government should be met by the two
wings equally or in a ratio to be fixed; indigenous products should
move free of duty between the two wings, and the constitution
should empower the units to establish trade links with foreign
countries. 6.East Pakistan should have a separate militia or
paramilitary force.
The Indemnity Act of Bangladesh was formulated to give immunity
from legal action to the persons involved in the assassination of
president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The assassination took place on
August 15, 1975[1] As the parliament was not in session, the Act
was promulgated on September 26, 1975, in the form of an Ordinance
by president Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, a close political associate of
Sheikh Mujib and a cabinet Minister, who was made the president of
the country following the killing of Sheikh Mujib. It was titled
Indemnity Ordinance 1975, being Ordinance No. 50 of 1975. Later it
was ratified by the Bangladesh Parliament in due course, when the
parliament was constituted in 1979, and became an Act, that is, a
formal statute, following the ratification. By dint of the 5th
amendment to the constitution brought about in 9 July 1979, the
Indeminity Act became enshrined in the Constitution of Bangladesh.
After Awami League formed government with Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the
daughter of Sheikh Mujib, as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the
Parliament scrapped the Indemnity Act on 12 November 1996.[2] This
paved the way for the trial of the killers Sheikh Mujib. On
February, 2010 the 5th amendment to the constitution was declared
illegal by the High Court of Bangladesh. [3]HistoryThe university
has a history that started in 1858 when Dhaka Brahma School was
founded in 1858 by Dinanath Sen, Prabhaticharan Roy, Anathbandhu
Mallik and Brajasundar Kaitra. The name Jagannath school was given
by Kishorilal Chowdhury, the Zamindar of Baliati in Manikganj, who
took over the school in 1872 and renamed it after his father. In
1884, it was raised to a second grade college. Law was one of the
first courses introduced. A common management committee
administered the school and college until 1887, when the school
section was separated to form the independent Kishore Jubilee
School. It is now known as K L Jubilee School. The administration
of the college was transferred to a board of trustees in 1907. In
the following year, it became a first grade college.
The college started with 48 students and in five years, the roll
raised to 396. In 1910, Raja Manmath Roy Chowdhury, the zamindar of
Santosh, Tangail, affiliated the Pramath-Manmath College of Tangail
with Jagannath College. With the establishment of University of
Dhaka in 1921, it stopped admission to degree courses and was
renamed Jagannath Intermediate College. This status was changed
after 28 years in 1949, when it reopened degree classes. The
college was taken over by the government in 1968.
Jagannath College opened honours and masters programmes in 1975.
That year the government once again took over the college and
upgraded it into a postgraduate college. In 1982, the college
closed its programmes at intermediate level. The college introduced
evening shifts in 1992.
It was transformed into Jagannath University in 2005 by passing
a bill named Jagannath University Act-2005 in the national
parliament.
How the US Helped Create Al Qaeda and ISIS
by GARIKAI CHENGU
Much like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) is made-in-the-USA,
an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich
Middle East and to counter Irans growing influence in the
region.
The fact that the United States has a long and torrid history of
backing terrorist groups will surprise only those who watch the
news and ignore history.
The CIA first aligned itself with extremist Islam during the
Cold War era. Back then, America saw the world in rather simple
terms: on one side, the Soviet Union and Third World nationalism,
which America regarded as a Soviet tool; on the other side, Western
nations and militant political Islam, which America considered an
ally in the struggle against the Soviet Union.
The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald
Reagan, General William Odom recently remarked, by any measure the
U.S. has long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to
pass a law against international terrorism in every version they
produced, the lawyers said the U.S. would be in violation.
During the 1970s the CIA used the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as
a barrier, both to thwart Soviet expansion and prevent the spread
of Marxist ideology among the Arab masses. The United States also
openly supported Sarekat Islam against Sukarno in Indonesia, and
supported the Jamaat-e-Islami terror group against Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto in Pakistan. Last but certainly not least, there is Al
Qaeda.
Lest we forget, the CIA gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and
breastfed his organization during the 1980s. Former British Foreign
Secretary, Robin Cook, told the House of Commons that Al Qaeda was
unquestionably a product of Western intelligence agencies. Mr. Cook
explained that Al Qaeda, which literally means an abbreviation of
the database in Arabic, was originally the computer database of the
thousands of Islamist extremists, who were trained by the CIA and
funded by the Saudis, in order to defeat the Russians in
Afghanistan.
Americas relationship with Al Qaeda has always been a love-hate
affair. Depending on whether a particular Al Qaeda terrorist group
in a given region furthers American interests or not, the U.S.
State Department either funds or aggressively targets that
terrorist group. Even as American foreign policy makers claim to
oppose Muslim extremism, they knowingly foment it as a weapon of
foreign policy.
The Islamic State is its latest weapon that, much like Al Qaeda,
is certainly backfiring. ISIS recently rose to international
prominence after its thugs began beheading American journalists.
Now the terrorist group controls an area the size of the United
Kingdom.
In order to understand why the Islamic State has grown and
flourished so quickly, one has to take a look at the organizations
American-backed roots. The 2003 American invasion and occupation of
Iraq created the pre-conditions for radical Sunni groups, like
ISIS, to take root. America, rather unwisely, destroyed Saddam
Husseins secular state machinery and replaced it with a
predominantly Shiite administration. The U.S. occupation caused
vast unemployment in Sunni areas, by rejecting socialism and
closing down factories in the naive hope that the magical hand of
the free market would create jobs. Under the new U.S.-backed Shiite
regime, working class Sunnis lost hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Unlike the white Afrikaners in South Africa, who were allowed to
keep their wealth after regime change, upper class Sunnis were
systematically dispossessed of their assets and lost their
political influence. Rather than promoting religious integration
and unity, American policy in Iraq exacerbated sectarian divisions
and created a fertile breading ground for Sunni discontent, from
which Al Qaeda in Iraq took root.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used to have a
different name: Al Qaeda in Iraq. After 2010 the group rebranded
and refocused its efforts on Syria.
There are essentially three wars being waged in Syria: one
between the government and the rebels, another between Iran and
Saudi Arabia, and yet another between America and Russia. It is
this third, neo-Cold War battle that made U.S. foreign policy
makers decide to take the risk of arming Islamist rebels in Syria,
because Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, is a key Russian ally.
Rather embarrassingly, many of these Syrian rebels have now turned
out to be ISIS thugs, who are openly brandishing American-made M16
Assault rifles.
Americas Middle East policy revolves around oil and Israel. The
invasion of Iraq has partially satisfied Washingtons thirst for
oil, but ongoing air strikes in Syria and economic sanctions on
Iran have everything to do with Israel. The goal is to deprive
Israels neighboring enemies, Lebanons Hezbollah and Palestines
Hamas, of crucial Syrian and Iranian support.
ISIS is not merely an instrument of terror used by America to
topple the Syrian government; it is also used to put pressure on
Iran.
The last time Iran invaded another nation was in 1738. Since
independence in 1776, the U.S. has been engaged in over 53 military
invasions and expeditions. Despite what the Western medias war
cries would have you believe, Iran is clearly not the threat to
regional security, Washington is. An Intelligence Report published
in 2012, endorsed by all sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies,
confirms that Iran ended its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Truth
is, any Iranian nuclear ambition, real or imagined, is as a result
of American hostility towards Iran, and not the other way around.
America is using ISIS in three ways: to attack its enemies in the
Middle East, to serve as a pretext for U.S. military intervention
abroad, and at home to foment a manufactured domestic threat, used
to justify the unprecedented expansion of invasive domestic
surveillance.
By rapidly increasing both government secrecy and surveillance,
Mr. Obamas government is increasing its power to watch its
citizens, while diminishing its citizens power to watch their
government. Terrorism is an excuse to justify mass surveillance, in
preparation for mass revolt.
The so-called War on Terror should be seen for what it really
is: a pretext for maintaining a dangerously oversized U.S.
military. The two most powerful groups in the U.S. foreign policy
establishment are the Israel lobby, which directs U.S. Middle East
policy, and the Military-Industrial-Complex, which profits from the
former groups actions. Since George W. Bush declared the War on
Terror in October 2001, it has cost the American taxpayer
approximately 6.6 trillion dollars and thousands of fallen sons and
daughters; but, the wars have also raked in billions of dollars for
Washingtons military elite.
In fact, more than seventy American companies and individuals
have won up to $27 billion in contracts for work in postwar Iraq
and Afghanistan over the last three years, according to a recent
study by the Center for Public Integrity. According to the study,
nearly 75 per cent of these private companies had employees or
board members, who either served in, or had close ties to, the
executive branch of the Republican and Democratic administrations,
members of Congress, or the highest levels of the military.
In 1997, a U.S. Department of Defense report stated, the data
show a strong correlation between U.S. involvement abroad and an
increase in terrorist attacks against the U.S. Truth is, the only
way America can win the War On Terror is if it stops giving
terrorists the motivation and the resources to attack America.
Terrorism is the symptom; American imperialism in the Middle East
is the cancer. Put simply, the War on Terror is terrorism; only, it
is conducted on a much larger scale by people with jets and
missiles.
Garikai Chengu is a research scholar at Harvard University.