Govt appoints Talha as ambassador to France

The government has appointed career diplomat Khondker Mohammad Talha as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to France on a contractual basis.

The Public Administration Ministry issued a gazette notification on Monday, saying his appointment will take effect from October 3, 2026, and remain in force until December 31, 2027.

The appointment is subject to the suspension of his unavailed post-retirement leave and related benefits. He will also have to sever employment ties with any other profession, business, or government, semi-government or private institution or organisation.

Talha joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995 and was first appointed Bangladesh’s Ambassador to France in September 2021.

He has also served as director general of the East Asia and Pacific Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, deputy high commissioner in London from 2014 to 2018, and chief of protocol from 2012 to 2014.

Among his overseas assignments, Talha served at Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2002 to 2006, dealing with the General Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee, ECOSOC, and UN funds and programmes.

He served at Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission in Geneva from 2008 to 2011, handling UNCTAD- and WTO-related issues. He also coordinated the LDC Group at the expert level at both UNCTAD and the WTO.

Earlier, he served as deputy chief of mission in Tehran from 2006 to 2008.

During his posting in New York, Talha was elected vice-chair of the UN Commission on Population and Development in 2004. In Geneva, he served as rapporteur of the 99th session of the Council of the International Organization for Migration in 2010.

Talha holds a master’s degree from the University of Dhaka, an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka, and a master’s degree in foreign affairs and international trade from Monash University in Melbourne.