Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Wednesday, Dec 6) said the concession agreement on operation of Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) between Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and Saudi Arabia's company Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) will help further enhance Saudi investment in Bangladesh. "This concession agreement is a testament to our two countries' joint vision and steadfast commitment to economic cooperation and prosperity," PM said. The prime minister along with Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih witnessed the signing ceremony at her office here as CPA Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail and CEO of RSGT Jeans O. Foley inked the agreement. The Saudi minister earlier paid a courtesy call on the Bangladesh premier at her office in the morning. "As we witness the signing of this concession agreement, we look forward to a future where Patenga Container Terminal will become a driving force for economic growth and prosperity in Bangladesh," Sheikh Hasina said at the signing ceremony. She said that the RSGT will operate the Patenga Container Terminal for the next 22 years that will strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the field of trade and commerce. The Chittagong Port Authority's Patenga Container Terminal Project is a beacon of hope for Bangladesh's economic uplift, she added. The premier said this self-reliant modern terminal will enhance the capacity of port, facilitate seamless trade, and create job opportunities and entrepreneurship. "It will act as a gateway to global trade, opening up new opportunities for our businesses to connect with the world," she said. The terminal will help boost regional economic growth as India, Bhutan and Nepal can also use the terminal, she also said. Sheikh Hasina said the investment of Saudi Arabia in the Patenga Container Terminal will enhance the image of Bangladesh on the global stage. The prime minister described Saudi Arabia as a friendly country and an important development partner for Bangladesh. "The people of Bangladesh have deep respect and trust for the people of Saudi Arabia. We have always found Saudi Arabia close to our hearts," she said. Sheikh Hasina said the RSGT is a reputed global terminal operator designated by the Saudi government. Source: BSS

Pyongyang says it is retaliation for Seoul partially suspending the agreement on Wednesday following North Korea’s recent spy satellite launch. North Korea on Thursday announced that it was ending a 2018 military agreement with South Korea. It comes following Seoul's partial suspension of the pact aimed at reducing military tensions, with the South Korean government citing  Pyongyang's recent spy satellite launch as the reason behind the move. The North responded by scrapping up the agreement entirely. The Defense Ministry in Pyongyang said in a statement that it will "never be bound" by the agreement, according to the state-run KCNA news agency. "We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," it said. South Korea increases border surveillance South Korea on Wednesday employed both manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft along the border for surveillance, Yonhap news agency said. The US called South Korea's decision to suspend part of the agreement a "prudent and restrained response," following North Korea's "failure to adhere to the agreement." Late on Wednesday, North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast. However, Seoul assessed that the launch seemed to have been unsuccessful. North Korea launches spy satellite On Tuesday, North Korea had announced that it placed its first spy satellite, Malligyong-1, in orbit. South Korea confirmed Pyongyang's claim saying that its spy agency accessed that "the spy satellite launch was successful, and it has been put into orbital trajectory." South Korean officials said the latest launch most likely involved Russian technical assistance as Pyongyang and Moscow have grown increasingly closer lately. Both the UN and the US had condemned the launch because it was in violation of UN resolutions that bar North Korea's use of technology applicable to ballistic missile programs. Pyongyang insists it is exercising its right to self-defense. According to state media, Kim Jong Un was already reviewing images of US military bases in Guam sent by the spy satellite. South Korea, meanwhile, plans to launch its own spy satellite soon.

North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology for a recent launch was condemned by the UN and the US. Meanwhile, Japan expressed uncertainty about Pyongyang's claim. South Korea partially suspended a 2018 military agreement with North Korea and resumed aerial border surveillance operations on Wednesday after Pyongyang was said to have launched a military spy satellite. "The military agreement has been partially suspended," a government spokesperson told the news agency AFP. "The remaining procedure is for the Defense Ministry to notify North Korea. But since communication lines with North Korea have been cut off, the Defence Ministry will just announce it." Pyongyang calls launch successful Earlier, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that on Tuesday a rocket carrying the satellite took off from North Phyongan province and "accurately put the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' on its orbit." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the launch, the state media reported. The successful putting of the satellite into orbit follows two earlier unsuccessful attempts. North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology for the launch was condemned by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The United States called it a "brazen violation" of UN sanctions. Japan skeptical if spy satellite in orbit At the same time, Japan expressed uncertainty about North Korea's claim of successfully orbiting a satellite and said it was "currently analyzing" the launch. "The (Japanese) government at this point is not confirming whether the satellite had entered into an orbit around the Earth," chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said. Shortly after the launch on Tuesday evening, Japan issued an evacuation alert to its residents in Okinawa in the south, which was later withdrawn. Meanwhile, the US nuclear-powered submarine SSN Santa Fe docked in South Korea's Jeju Island, highlighting rising regional tensions.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with President of Zanzibar Hussein Ali Mwinyi on Wednesday and also witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar. Jaishankar is on a four-day official visit to Tanzania, where he is set to hold high-level talks and co-chair the 10th Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a release. Following his meeting with the President of Zanzibar, Jaishankar tweeted, "Delighted to meet President of Zanzibar Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Appreciated his strong commitment to stronger India-Zanzibar partnership. Our development partnership and defence cooperation are domains with which he is closely associated."Jaishankar also witnessed the signing of agreement of setting up of IIT Madras in Zanzibar. The President of Zanzibar and his ministers were also present during the occasion. To strengthen the education ties between the two countries, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is opening its first-ever overseas campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar in October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students, The Citizen reported. The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar under the name IIT Madras at Zanzibar. Zanzibar will be one of three campuses outside of India, with the others located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. "Witnessed the signing of the agreement on setting up of @iitmadras Zanzibar campus. Appreciate President @DrHmwinyi gracing the occasion, as also the presence of his Ministers. This historic step reflects India's commitment to the Global South," Jaishankar tweeted. India and Tanzania share close and friendly relations. In strengthening the education ties between the two countries, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first-ever overseas campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar in October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students, The Citizen reported. The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar under the name IIT Madras at Zanzibar. Zanzibar will be one of three campuses outside of India, with the others located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. During the visit, Jaishankar also called on the top leadership of the East African country and also attended a reception onboard Indian Naval Ship Trishul. India and Tanzania also saw the second edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between the two countries, which was held in Arusha on June 28 and 29, earlier this year. 

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and his Cyprus counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides signed an MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation, in Nicosia on Thursday. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and his Cyprus counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides signed an MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation, in Nicosia on Thursday. "We have signed a number of important agreements today. One is the MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation between our two countries," Jaishankar said during a press conference alongside Kasoulide. This agreement was signed during Jaishankar's first visit to the country. The two sides also inked the Letter of Intent on the Migration and Mobility Partnership. He said this deal will help provide a common framework of arrangement and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, business people and professionals. "It will also help in combatting irregular migration," he said. Jaishankar also welcomed signing the framework agreement on the signing of the International solar alliance by Cyprus. "I believe, our cooperation in the field of renewable energy will gain as a result," he added. The External Affairs Minister also released the commemorative stamps today on 75 years of India's Independence and 60 years of establishing diplomatic ties with Cyprus. "Overall, there is a lot we can be proud of in our bilateral relations and the level of our comfort and extend of our cooperation is clearly visible," he added. Addressing the press conference, Jaishankar noted that the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts demand the world to address new challenges. "Energy security and food security are particularly pressing issues. As a responsible member of the international community, India joined its other partners in working towards extending humanitarian aid, medicines, vaccine and food grains," he added. As India takes on the responsibility of G20, Jaishankar said it is New Delhi's endeavour to involve as many countries as possible and stir the conversation in the forum towards equitable and sustainable growth. Jaishankar reiterated India's principled position on the Cyprus issue and expressed commitment to a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation based on UN resolutions. "I take this opportunity to reiterate our principled position on the Cyprus issue. India reiterates its commitment to a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation based on UN resolutions as the solution to the Cyprus issue," he said. The ministers had a very productive discussion with his Cyprus counterpart on both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The two ministers also exchanged views on their respective neighborhoods, Indo-Pacfic region, West Asia, and India-EU ties. 

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that India was considering entering into a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Oman. He was delivering the keynote address at the 10th Meeting of India-Oman Joint Business Council (JBC) in New Delhi today. Goyal further said that India was already looking at a comprehensive trade agreement with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, of which Oman is an important member. The Minister said that the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) that took place on Wednesday between India and Oman, which had been long overdue, was a very productive one. He expressed confidence that the discussions with business leaders on both sides would complement the discussions under JCM, come up with new ideas to boost our already deep bonds of friendship, and turn our vision into reality. Observing that India and Oman have been connected for more than 5,000 years through friendship and brotherhood and very warm and strong people-to-people ties, the Minister said that despite such close relations, the bilateral trade and investment in the two nations were yet to reach maximum potential. Goyal stressed that all the engagement that happened in the JCM, the friendship between him and his counterpart in Oman, the visionary leadership of the heads of both nations and the warm people to people ties between the two nations should and must lead to a significant increase in business to business engagement. Paying his respects to the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, Goyal said, "He was held in very high esteem in India and was conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize. He was one of the architects of close India-Oman bilateral relations. We owe it to him to strive to transform his vision into reality and take the partnership between India and Oman to the heights it truly deserves."   The Union Minister expressed confidence that the Joint Business Council (JBC) will supplement the efforts of the governments of both countries to deepen engagement. He underscored that these agreements would only reach their true potential if businesses display that enthusiasm which will, in turn, help political leaders take bold decisions. Goyal urged businesses in both nations to look at new opportunities, especially in services, investment, food security, sustainability, renewable energy and startups. The Minister acknowledged the care, concern and love that was showered on expatriate Indians by the people of Oman, especially during the pandemic. He added that Oman was the 1st country in the GCC to authorize the use of India made Covaxin. Referring to cultural and culinary affinities between the two nations, the Minister said that these ties have brought the people of both nations even closer. The Minister invited the Government of Oman to increase their pharma trade with India. Mentioning the market study on the cooperation in the pharma sector that was unveiled at the JCM on Wednesday, the Minister expressed confidence that the report would be invaluable to Indian companies wishing to enter the Omani market. "Our pharma companies will bring quality products at competitive prices to consumers in Oman and help bring down the cost of healthcare," he assured. Goyal also thanked Oman for agreeing to fast-track approval for Indian medicines that had already been cleared by strong regulatory environments like the UK, EU and the USA. The Minister urged both nations to leave no stone unturned when it comes to working together to improve the lives of people in India and Oman. Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion of the Sultanate of Oman said that the two nations had a successful Joint Commission Meeting and added that India and Oman had great trust and confidence in each other. He also invited Indian companies to invest and do business in Oman.   Source: ANI

After the signing of the interim trade agreement between India and Australia, a committee formed the two nations will start talks within two-and-a-half months for transforming the early pact into a full-fledged comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA), according to official documents. The interim pact or India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) was inked by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan on April 2. According to the text of ECTA, both the countries have established a negotiation sub-committee which shall be composed of government representatives of both the sides. "Within 75 days after the date of signature of this (ECTA) agreement, the negotiation sub-committee shall commence negotiations on amendments to this agreement, on a without prejudice basis, on areas including inter alia market access for goods and services, a complete product-specific rules schedule, a digital trade chapter, and a government procurement chapter, to transform this agreement into a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement," the text said.   Following those negotiations, the two countries "may make amendments to this agreement...to transform this agreement" into a CECA. On customs procedure and trade facilitation, the text stated that both the sides would endeavour to apply its customs procedures and practices in a predictable, consistent, and transparent manner. "Each Party shall adopt or maintain simplified customs procedures for the efficient release of goods in order to facilitate trade between the Parties," it added. India and Australia on April 2 signed ECTA under which Canberra would provide duty-free access in its market for over 6,000 broad sectors of India, including textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery. The agreement is likely to be implemented in about four months. The agreement would help in taking bilateral trade from USD 27.5 billion at present to USD 45-50 billion in the next five years. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com  

India has signed the second agreement with the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) under which it will donate another 10,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan. "Government of India and the United Nations World Food Program signed the second 'In-kind Contribution Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and WFP for the donation of next batch of 10,000 MTs of wheat to the People of Afghanistan," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. India intends to provide Afghanistan with a total of 50,000 tonnes of wheat.   "As of now, the first tranche of 10,000 MTs of wheat has been successfully delivered to Afghanistan and delivery of the next batch of 10,000 MTs of wheat is in the process," MEA added. Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last August that led caused economic disarray and food shortages that have pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Last week, V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs said India has historical and civilizational ties with Afghanistan. India's development partnership with Afghanistan included projects spread across each of the 34 provinces of the country in critical areas such as power, water supply, road connectivity, health care, education, agriculture and capacity building. "In the last two years, India has contributed to the humanitarian requirements of the people of Afghan. This includes 75,000 MTs of wheat (2020), COVID related medical supplies (June 2020) and 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine (January 2021)," he added.   Source: ANI

Bangladesh and the United States on Wednesday signed an agreement for flight operations between the two countries. From now on, the agreement will serve as the primary basis for aviation between the two countries. The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism at the Secretariat by Civil Aviation and Tourism Senior Secretary Mahibul Haque on Behalf of Bangladesh and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller on behalf of the United States. The signing took place in the light of a prior agreement inked between the two countries in 2013. According to the agreement signed between the two countries on the basis of open-air policy, both the countries can nominate any number of airlines as their designated airlines to operate flights between the two countries. The designated airlines of each country will be able to operate any number of passenger and cargo aircraft by the third and fourth freedom rights. The designated airlines of the two countries will also be able to operate any passenger aircraft and cargo aircraft by any aircraft at any intermediate or remote point in compliance with the fifth freedom right. Both countries will be able to operate flights through code sharing. Speaking at the signing ceremony, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali MP said the agreement signed between Bangladesh and the United States was a landmark step towards mutual cooperation in the aviation sector of the two countries. “Today's air communication agreement is a testament to the strength of the existing friendship between Bangladesh and the United States,” he said. “We’re working on the development of physical infrastructure as well as security at the airport on a priority basis. In recent times, there has been a visible improvement in security at Bangladesh's airports. This has also been reflected in the ICAO report. Bangladesh occupies an important place in the organization’s 2018 and 2019 safety regulations report,” he added. Mahibul Haque said the agreement would play an important role in mutual cooperation and direct air communication between the two countries in the aviation sector. “Also, work is underway to achieve the Category-1 designation set by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to start direct flights between the two countries,” he said. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller said the introduction of direct air communication will give a new dimension to the people-to-people relations between the two countries. Chairman of Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Vice Marshal Mohammad Mofidur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Janendra Nath Sarkar were present at the signing ceremony. Source: UNB AH

Bangladesh’s popular satellite television channel Rtv has signed agreement with Channel-S which is very popular among Bangladeshi community in United Kingdom. The agreement was signed between the two organizations at London local time 3:30 pm at the board room of Channel-S on Thursday. Rtv’s Managing Director Humayun Kabir Bablu and Channel-S founder Mahi Firdaus Jalil signed the agreement. Under the agreement Channel-S will telecast a number of programs of Rtv. About the agreement Rtv Managing Director Humayun Kabir Bablu said, Channel-S is a very popular channel in United Kingdom. For this reason we have chosen it. They are airing many good programs and are working along with Bangladeshi community. Considering all we have decided to sign an agreement with them. He also said, Channel-S will be able to uphold some good programs of Rtv to the Bangladeshi people. As well as we will be able to telecast some of their programs.   In this regard Channel-S founder Mahi Firdaus Jalil said, we have chosen Rtv so that Bangladeshi people living in United Kingdom can watch some good programs. Through their programs Rtv will provide information and entertainment to the Bangladeshi community. About the agreement Channel-S Chairman Ahmed Samad Chowdhury said, this agreement is a bridge between Bangladesh and its expatriates. Through this more innovation will come into our program schedule. AH