Dhaka: The government has announced the appointment of Khondker Mohammad Talha as Bangladesh's Ambassador to France on a contractual basis. The Public Administration Ministry released a gazette notification stating that his appointment will commence from October 3, 2026, and continue until December 31, 2027.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the appointment is contingent upon the suspension of Talha's unavailed post-retirement leave and related benefits. Additionally, he must sever any employment ties with other professions, businesses, or institutions, whether they are governmental, semi-governmental, or private.
Talha is a seasoned diplomat who joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995. He was initially appointed as Bangladesh's Ambassador to France in September 2021. Throughout his career, he has held various significant positions, including 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.
His overseas assignments include serving at Bangladesh's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2002 to 2006, where he managed issues related to the General Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee, ECOSOC, and UN funds and programmes. He also served at Bangladesh's Permanent Mission in Geneva from 2008 to 2011, handling UNCTAD and WTO-related matters and coordinating the LDC Group at the expert level.
Earlier in his career, Talha served as deputy chief of mission in Tehran from 2006 to 2008. During his time in New York, he was elected vice-chair of the UN Commission on Population and Development in 2004, and 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.