Bangladesh to offer Maldives help with diplomacy

[fallstuff]

Bangladesh to offer Maldives help with diplomacy

By Azra Naseem | September 22nd, 2010


The Maldives may soon be invited to use Bangladeshi diplomatic missions abroad to negotiate with the international community, it emerged this week.

Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary, Mijarul Quayes, is drafting a conceptual plan that will allow the Maldives to open ‘outlets’ within Bangladeshi diplomatic through which to conduct its international relations, according to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

The Maldives has only 13 missions abroad and opening ‘Maldivian outlets’ within Bangladeshi missions would help the island nation, the APP report said.

Bangladesh has 60 diplomatic missions worldwide. Offering the Maldives office space within their missions is part of Quayes’s plan envisaging a “new role for Bangladesh regarding the Maldives”.

The offer of diplomatic office space, however, has not yet been made formally to the Maldivian Foreign Ministry.

“Bangladesh may be thinking of making such a proposal but we are not aware of it yet”, State Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem told Minivan.

The Bangladeshi High Commission in the Maldives was unable to confirm or deny the report at time of press.

The government estimates there to be 35,000 Bangladeshi nationals working in the Maldives – over 11 percent of the total population – of which the authorities consider 17,000 to be employed legally.

Maldives-Bangladeshi relations have recently been in the news over allegations of Bangladeshi labourers being trafficked to the Maldives.

Exploitation of foreign workers rivals fishing as the second most profitable sector of the Maldivian economy after tourism, according to conservative estimates of the number of Bangladeshi workers showing up at their commission in Male’ after being abandoned at the airport by unscrupulous employment agents.

Link:

Bangladesh to offer Maldives help with diplomacy|Minivan News

Minivan Daily - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[TopCat]

very good move... love to see them on board.

 

[eastwatch]

But, I think, this kind of proposal is supposed to be requested by the beneficiary country. In this case, it is Maldives itself. But, BD govt is taking the initiative. It will not be bad if it is successful.

 

[Peshwa]

Except for being a goodwill gesture, how does this move benefit BD?

And indeed....shouldnt Maldives be making the overtures to use such facilities?

 

[eastwatch]

BD govt is trying to help Madives in this important diplomatic front. But, the overture should have come from Malidives itself. However, it is very difficult to say what really is going on behind the curtain. Could it be that if BD proposal is a way to saving Maldives' face?

By the way, BD is in good term with that island country. Maldives' President requested our PM to allow him to take soil from BD to raise the elevation of Maldives. She had answerd that it would not be a problem, BD has enough sandy and silty soil in its river beds. But, BD would not bear the cost of dredging the rivers, load the ships and deliver the soil.

 

[integra]

Bangladesh including Maldives plays a crucial role in negotiating the ldc fund for climate change. May be a stronger supporting country is needed for claiming the fund, who knows? At least we are not getting any support from our bigger neighbors so why not team up wit countries who are actually in danger.

 

[InPhilTraitor]

Bangladesh including Maldives plays a crucial role in negotiating the ldc fund for climate change. May be a stronger supporting country is needed for claiming the fund, who knows? At least we are not getting any support from our bigger neighbors so why not team up wit countries who are actually in danger.

you cannot complain about us as "Big Brother" and Apathy simultaneously.. please stick to one thing.

 

[eastwatch]

you cannot complain about us as "Big Brother" and Apathy simultaneously.. please stick to one thing.

We are not playing Big Brother as India nad its citizens have the propensity to do. Silently, we are cutting the Indian shackles from Nepal, Bhutan and now Maldives one by one. India may be failing in its rough dplomatic policy towards its smaller neighbours.

 

[ek_indian]

We are not playing Big Brother as India nad its citizens have the propensity to do. Silently, we are cutting the Indian shackles from Nepal, Bhutan and now Maldives one by one. India may be failing in its rough dplomatic policy towards its smaller neighbour.

I am impressed by your knowledge of current events and foriegn policy affairs.

 

[TopCat]

If my memory acts right, it was Maldives which requested the facilities long back.

 

[InPhilTraitor]

We are not playing Big Brother as India nad its citizens have the propensity to do. Silently, we are cutting the Indian shackles from Nepal, Bhutan and now Maldives one by one. India may be failing in its rough dplomatic policy towards its smaller neighbour.

In South Asia, India is the biggest country. I honestly feel that Bangladesh may very well improve its ties with above countries, but Bangladesh cannot take place of India.

 

[integra]

In South Asia, India is the biggest country. I honestly feel that Bangladesh may very well improve its ties with above countries, but Bangladesh cannot take place of India.

It doesn't need to. Thats where we have our advantage.