OIC confident of BD’s stability, growth under Tarique Rahman
Diplomatic Correspondent :
Leaders attending the executive meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have expressed confidence that Bangladesh will attain political stability and accelerated development under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The assurances came during a series of bilateral meetings held by Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman on the sidelines of the OIC Executive Meeting on Palestine in Jeddah.
Dr. Rahman met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A. El-Khereiji of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya of Türkiye, Foreign Minister Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian of Palestine, and Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie of Gambia, who chaired the executive meeting.
The visiting leaders congratulated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s electoral victory and his assumption of office.
They expressed confidence that Bangladesh would achieve political stability and sustain faster economic progress under his leadership.
The leaders also commended Bangladesh’s unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause and conveyed full support for Dhaka’s candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 2026-2027 term.
Following Palestine’s withdrawal from the race, Bangladesh is set to contest the presidency against Cyprus. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has nominated Dr. Khalilur Rahman as the country’s candidate.
In his meeting with Ishaq Dar, Dr. Rahman discussed prospects for strengthening bilateral relations.
The Pakistani foreign minister recalled his meeting last year with former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looked forward to visiting Dhaka to greet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Both sides expressed hope that relations between the two countries would see steady progress under the new government in Dhaka.
During talks with Musa Kulaklikaya, the historical ties between Bangladesh and Türkiye were highlighted, alongside cooperation on the Rohingya issue. Dr. Rahman thanked Türkiye for its continued support to Rohingya refugees and efforts toward an early resolution of the crisis.
He also handed over an invitation to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to visit Bangladesh after Ramadan. In a separate meeting, Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A. El-Khereiji expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would visit the Kingdom soon and extended an invitation to Dr. Rahman to travel to Riyadh.
He noted that Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform agenda offers broad opportunities for cooperation across sectors. The Bangladeshi side pointed to significant prospects for Saudi investment in Bangladesh.
The Saudi minister also sought Bangladesh’s support for reforms aimed at strengthening the OIC Secretariat.
In his meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian, Dr. Rahman reiterated Bangladesh’s support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian foreign minister praised Bangladesh’s consistent stance and conveyed support for its bid for the UNGA presidency, indicating that the Arab-Islamic bloc would back Dhaka’s candidature.
Meeting with Gambia’s Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie, Dr. Rahman thanked Banjul for its continued support for the Rohingya cause, including the case filed against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice over allegations of genocide.
Both sides agreed to hold a dedicated event on the Rohingya issue during the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad in April.
Foreign Minister Njie expressed full support for Bangladesh’s candidate for the UNGA presidency and offered to work with African countries to mobilize backing.
Senior Bangladeshi officials, including Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, Foreign Secretary Ambassador Mollah Farhad Hossain, and Permanent Representative to the OIC MJH Jabed, were present during the meetings.
