Jeddah: The global leaders, who attended the executive meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have expressed the confidence that Bangladesh will speedily attain political stability and accelerated development under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. They expressed full support to Bangladesh’s candidature for the Presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Foreign Minister and Bangladesh candidate for the UNGA Presidency Dr. Khalilur Rahman held bilateral meetings with leaders of several key participating delegations on the sidelines of the executive meeting of the OIC on Palestine in Jeddah. The discussions focused on issues of common interest, as confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meetings involved Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A. Elkhreiji of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey Musa Kulaklikaya, Foreign Minister Dr. Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian, and Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie of Gambia, who also chairs the Executive Meeting.
Palestine has withdrawn its candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 2026-2027 term. Following this development, Bangladesh will now compete with Cyprus for the position. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has nominated Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur for the role.
The delegation leaders conveyed their congratulations to Prime Minister Tarique on the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and his assumption of the role as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. They also commended Bangladesh for its commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister warmly recalled his meeting with the late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia last year. He noted that Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is keen to visit Bangladesh to greet Prime Minister Tarique. Foreign Minister Dar expressed hope for prospering relations between the two countries under Bangladesh’s new government.
Turkish Minister Kulaklikaya highlighted the historical ties between Turkey and Bangladesh, expressing hope for expanded relations across multiple sectors. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman thanked Turkey for its support to the Rohingya refugees, with both sides agreeing to work towards resolving the issue. An invitation was extended to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to visit Bangladesh post-Ramadan.
The Saudi Minister expressed a desire for Prime Minister Tarique to visit the Kingdom soon, extending an invitation to Foreign Minister Rahman to visit Riyadh. He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ and the opportunities it presents for Bangladesh. Both sides pledged to explore these potentials and discussed reforms to enhance the OIC Secretariat’s performance.
In a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Aghabekian, Foreign Minister Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for the Palestinian cause, advocating for a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinian Minister praised Bangladesh’s unwavering support and assured backing for its UNGA candidacy.
Foreign Minister Rahman also expressed gratitude to Gambia’s Foreign Minister Njie for supporting the Rohingya cause, including the case at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar. Both sides agreed to organize an event on the Rohingya issue during the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad. Gambia expressed full support for Bangladesh’s UNGA candidacy and pledged to collaborate with other African nations in its favor.
Present at the meetings were Humayun Kabir, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mollah Farhad Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and MJH Jabed, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to OIC.