Baku:Dhaka State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir is set to visit Azerbaijan and Iraq this week in a bid to enhance Bangladesh's diplomatic ties with Central Asia and the broader Muslim world. Kobir announced his itinerary at the foreign ministry, detailing plans to spend October 15-16 in Azerbaijan.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Kobir will attend a high-level gathering in Baku under the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which will include foreign ministers and senior officials focused on foreign affairs and security. He emphasized the strategic importance of the visit, highlighting Central Asia as a new frontier for Bangladesh's foreign policy outreach.
Following his engagements in Azerbaijan, Kobir will travel to Baghdad on October 17 to participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), where he will lead the Bangladeshi delegation and deliver a statement. He noted the significance of the Baghdad meeting amid geopolitical shifts in the Middle East and expressed Bangladesh's interest in further engaging with Iraq, a country emerging from decades of conflict.
Kobir underscored Bangladesh's commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East, emphasizing the importance of the region for the safety and welfare of nearly eight million Bangladeshi expatriate workers. The state minister remarked on the potential implications of Middle Eastern instability on Bangladesh's economic and energy interests, noting ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve regional conflicts peacefully.
Bangladesh, known for its role in UN peacekeeping, is open to contributing to peace and stability efforts in the Middle East, should proposals arise.