Dhaka: The government has appointed Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States, Asad Alam Siam, as the new foreign secretary. “Until further notice, Asad Alam Siam, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will carry out the responsibilities of the foreign secretary,” stated the office order issued by the ministry.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the order will be effective from June 20, with Siam likely to assume office on the following Sunday. He succeeds Md Jashim Uddin, who had been the country’s 27th foreign secretary since September last year. Since May 23, Secretary Md Ruhul Alam Siddique had been handling routine duties of the position following Uddin’s departure.
A career diplomat, Siam joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995. He is an architect by academic background, having completed his undergraduate studies at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and later acquiring an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. Throughout his distinguished career, Siam undertook several professional courses at prestigious institutions including the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu, APCSS in Hawaii, IFANS in Seoul, and the National Defence College in Dhaka. He also contributed as a guest lecturer at various training institutions in Bangladesh.
Within the Foreign Ministry, Siam held key positions such as director in the offices of the Foreign Minister, director general of the Europe and EU Wing, chief of protocol, rector of the Foreign Service Academy, and inspector general of missions. His international assignments included postings in Bangladesh missions in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Manchester. Notably, he was the country’s first Consul General in Milan and also served as Ambassador to the Philippines, Palau, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
Siam represented Bangladesh in numerous bilateral, regional, and multilateral negotiations. He was also the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Offices in Vienna and the OPEC Fund, and Alternate Permanent Representative to UNESCAP in Bangkok. Furthermore, he served as a Governor on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vice-Chair of the 67th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), and a Governor and Chair on the Board of the Colombo Plan Staff College in Manila.