Give missions manpower, logistic support

Bangladesh envoys abroad have asked the prime minister to ensure better logistic and manpower support to missions for providing expatriates services quickly and exploring trade opportunities.

They said Bangladesh has immense potential for exploring trade opportunities and the number of Bangladeshi expatriates has also increased.

Several ambassadors, mainly in countries that have a large market for Bangladeshi labour, raised the issue of delay in delivery of passports from Dhaka.

Talking to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after the inaugural session of first ever Envoy's Conference at Sonargaon Hotel and also during a dinner at the Gono Bhaban yesterday, the envoys highlighted the success of Bangladesh's diplomacy in a number of areas, including the unequivocal support of the international community for Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue.

Hasina said the support was an unprecedented success of the country's diplomatic history. "I think Bangladesh has never earned such a huge diplomatic success," she added.

The envoys said the prime minister had a closed-door two-hour interaction with the 58 envoys assigned to different diplomatic missions abroad.

She then invited them to the Gono Bhaban for dinner and to listen more from them.

Sources said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque during the interaction had interrupted the envoys and asked them to shorten their speeches.

But the PM overruled the foreign minister and secretary and asked the envoys to speak as much as they wanted and called for everyone to speak.

“It [the prime minister's encouragement to speak up] was a huge boost for the envoys … ,” said a Bangladeshi ambassador assigned to a European country.

Meeting sources said Bangladesh Ambassador to Ethiopia Monirul Islam told Hasina that five Bangladeshi garment companies established factories in the African country.

The Ethiopian government gave the Bangladeshi investors electricity, gas supply, and free land.

Sources said the PM after listening to them gave various directives and also gave some solutions instantly. She also advised the officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the foreign ministry to see to the proposals made by the envoys.

Source: thedailystar