DHAKA, 18 May 2022, (TON): The United State Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Hass said “his country wants to build action oriented deepening relationship with Bangladesh as Washington and Dhaka are being engaged in series of bilateral dialogues at different levels in this year.”

He made the remarks to media as a quick reaction after holding a meeting with foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen at foreign ministry here.

Hass said "we had a conversation about how we can continue moving our relationships forward and how we can action oriented deepening relationship.”

During the meeting, the envoy said “they talked about the "totality" of the bilateral issues between the US and Bangladesh and "how we can move forward.”

The ambassador said they also discussed about issues related to all bilateral dialogues between the two countries held in the last couple of months.

DHAKA, 18 May 2022, (TON): Non-Resident Singapore High Commissioner to Bangladesh Derek Loh lauded tremendous success of Bangladesh’s power and energy sector.

he said while paying a courtesy call on State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid “Power and Energy sector of Bangladesh can issue bond or join the capital market as Singaporean market is open for all.”

During the meeting, they discussed various issues including mutual interest of both the countries.

The State Minister said “Bangladesh’s power and energy sector is investment friendly.”

He added “to update the overall system of power and energy sector with modern technology, we can work on a partnership basis.”

DHAKA, 18 May 2022, (TON): A seven-member Swedish delegation led by ambassador Alexandra Berg Von Linde met State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at his ministry office.

During the meeting, they discussed various issues of mutual interest, including renewable energy and clean energy.

Among others, first secretary of Swedish embassy Anna Svantession, country manager Zia ur Rahman, public affairs managers of H&M Masarrat Quade and Nusrat were present in the meeting.

WASHINGTON, 18 May 2022, (TON): Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup.

Secretary Austin reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of the ROK.

The two leaders committed to maintaining fight tonight readiness and close cooperation in the face of continued provocative actions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

During the call, Secretary Austin congratulated Minister Lee on his appointment and underscored the U.S. commitment to defend the ROK through both the U.S.-ROK combined defense posture and the U.S. extended deterrent.

Secretary Austin and Minister Lee exchanged views on the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.

BRUSSELS, 18 May 2022, (TON): High Representative and the European Commission adopted a Joint Communication on a ‘Strategic Partnership with the Gulf’ with the aim to broaden and deepen the European Union cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council and its Member countries.

Josep Borrell said “at a time of insecurity and significant challenges to the rules-based international order, aggravated by Russia’s war on Ukraine, the European Union and Gulf countries stand to gain from a stronger and more strategic partnership stretching over a number of key areas.”

He said “we need to work more closely together on stability in the Gulf and the Middle East, on global security threats; energy security, climate change and the green transition, digitalisation, trade and investment. We also need to strengthen contacts between students, researchers, businesses and citizens.”

A strengthened partnership is beneficial both for the EU and for the Gulf partners, with the EU being the world’s largest single market, a leader in research and innovation, an important security actor in the Gulf region and the leading actor on global challenges such as climate change and digitalisation.

RIYADH, 18 May 2022, (TON): A diplomatic delegation from Japan visited the headquarters of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in Riyadh.

The delegates watched a presentation detailing humanitarian and aid projects carried out by KSrelief, which amount to 1,997 schemes across 83 countries in cooperation with 175 international, regional, and local partners.

The country that benefited the most was Yemen, where 702 projects with a total value exceeding $4 billion were carried out, followed by Palestine with 107 projects worth $369 million, and Syria with 702 projects worth $327 million.

The projects provided food, health, educational, and shelter aid.

VATICAN CITY, 18 May 2022, (TON): Pope Francis has said that he is saddened by the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, former president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

In a message, the leader of the Catholic church sent his condolences to newly appointed UAE president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and to the country’s people, invoking an abundance of divine blessings.

The Pope expressed his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of my prayers for his eternal rest.

“I likewise join the people of the Emirates in mourning his passing and paying tribute to his distinguished and far-sighted leadership in the service of the nation.”

The Catholic leader said he was particularly grateful for the solicitude shown by His Highness to the Holy See and to the Catholic communities of the Emirates, and for his commitment to the values of dialogue, understanding and solidarity between peoples and religious traditions solemnly proclaimed by the historic Abu Dhabi Document and embodied in the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.

DUBAI, 18 May 2022, (TON): State news agency said “Iranian authorities seized a foreign ship attempting to smuggle fuel out of the country and detained its crew.”

Iran, which has some of the world’s cheapest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.

The agency added “he ship, carrying more than 550,000 liters of smuggled fuel, was seized in Gulf waters and escorted to harbor in the southern province of Hormozgan, where it was handed to judicial authorities for investigation."

“We were able to identify and detain a ship carrying smuggled fuel intended to transport large-scale smuggled fuel shipments east of Maru Island.”

BRUSSELS, 18 May 2022, (TON): Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance at allied headquarters, a decision spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and setting in motion an accession process that is expected to take only a few weeks.

Sweden and Finland were both neutral throughout the Cold War, and their decision to join NATO is one of the most significant changes in Europe’s security architecture for decades, reflecting a sweeping shift in public opinion in the Nordic region since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said “this is a historic moment, which we must seize.”

Stoltenberg said “I warmly welcome requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners, and your membership in NATO will increase our shared security.”

Ratification of all 30 allied parliaments could take up to a year, diplomats say.

MOSCOW, 18 May 2022, (TON): Moscow expelled 24 Italian and 27 Spanish diplomats, according to the Russian foreign ministry, in tit-for-tat responses to the expulsion of Russian diplomats over the Ukraine conflict.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agencies “the ministry said in a statement that 27 employees of the Spanish embassy in Moscow and the Spanish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg have been declared persona non grata.”

Italy has slammed Russia’s expulsion of the diplomats as a hostile act.

France earlier strongly condemned the expulsion of 34 of its diplomats by Russia, a tit-for-tat move by Moscow after Paris ordered some Russian staff to leave.