Harun ur Rashid

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva

Likelihood of agreement on Teesta water sharing

On the last week of May 2018, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the signing of an agreement on sharing Teesta water would not be possible without taking West Bengal on board. She said this at a press conference in New Delhi, according to a video record published on the external affairs ministry website.

6y ago

Five reasons why Kim agreed to meet Trump

No sitting US president has ever met a North Korean leader before. The historic meeting on June 12 between US Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme leader Kim Jong Un ended with historic results. The meeting generated so much goodwill that the US President expressed his desire to visit North Korea and to invite the North Korean leader to Washington.

6y ago

The crisis of fresh water

In his famous poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the 18th-century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge eloquently reflects on the scarcity of water in the sea: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”.

6y ago

Blue Economy - Are we ready for it?

Blue economy means extraction of the resources of sea for the growth of an economy. Bangladesh has settled maritime boundary disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and with India in 2014 through an arbitral method. It is estimated that Bangladesh has acquired 118,813 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal. The areas of resources include 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and over 354 nautical miles of resources on seabed (continental shelf). It is estimated that the resources from the sea of Bangladesh constitute 81 percent of the resources existing in its land territory.

6y ago

West Bengal and Assam election results and its impact on Bangladesh

The Election Commission in India needs to be congratulated for conducting a free and fair election in Assam and West Bengal, among others, as no party has alleged any rigging in the outcome of elections. Both Trinomool Congress and BJP did much better than expected in the two states.

8y ago

The ugly face of the Bangkok explosion

No country is now immune to domestic or internationally-linked terrorism. Terrorism broadly falls into various categories, such as ideological or class-struggle or cross-border terrorism.

9y ago

TALK THE TALK

After the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, the then Soviet Union brokered a peace agreement at Tashkent. Russia has again taken the initiative

9y ago

Where does Bangladesh stand?

Cabotage restriction means that Bangladeshi trucks may move to Bhutan, India and Nepal with Bangladeshi goods but cannot pick up Indian, Bhutanese or Nepalese goods on its way back to Bangladesh. That means Bangladeshi trucks have to return empty.

9y ago
June 30, 2018
June 30, 2018

Likelihood of agreement on Teesta water sharing

On the last week of May 2018, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the signing of an agreement on sharing Teesta water would not be possible without taking West Bengal on board. She said this at a press conference in New Delhi, according to a video record published on the external affairs ministry website.

June 19, 2018
June 19, 2018

Five reasons why Kim agreed to meet Trump

No sitting US president has ever met a North Korean leader before. The historic meeting on June 12 between US Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme leader Kim Jong Un ended with historic results. The meeting generated so much goodwill that the US President expressed his desire to visit North Korea and to invite the North Korean leader to Washington.

June 3, 2018
June 3, 2018

The crisis of fresh water

In his famous poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the 18th-century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge eloquently reflects on the scarcity of water in the sea: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”.

May 14, 2018
May 14, 2018

Blue Economy - Are we ready for it?

Blue economy means extraction of the resources of sea for the growth of an economy. Bangladesh has settled maritime boundary disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and with India in 2014 through an arbitral method. It is estimated that Bangladesh has acquired 118,813 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal. The areas of resources include 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and over 354 nautical miles of resources on seabed (continental shelf). It is estimated that the resources from the sea of Bangladesh constitute 81 percent of the resources existing in its land territory.

May 27, 2016
May 27, 2016

West Bengal and Assam election results and its impact on Bangladesh

The Election Commission in India needs to be congratulated for conducting a free and fair election in Assam and West Bengal, among others, as no party has alleged any rigging in the outcome of elections. Both Trinomool Congress and BJP did much better than expected in the two states.

August 26, 2015
August 26, 2015

The ugly face of the Bangkok explosion

No country is now immune to domestic or internationally-linked terrorism. Terrorism broadly falls into various categories, such as ideological or class-struggle or cross-border terrorism.

July 12, 2015
July 12, 2015

TALK THE TALK

After the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, the then Soviet Union brokered a peace agreement at Tashkent. Russia has again taken the initiative

July 9, 2015
July 9, 2015

Where does Bangladesh stand?

Cabotage restriction means that Bangladeshi trucks may move to Bhutan, India and Nepal with Bangladeshi goods but cannot pick up Indian, Bhutanese or Nepalese goods on its way back to Bangladesh. That means Bangladeshi trucks have to return empty.

June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015

Why does Bangladesh need the Ganges Barrage?

If the Ganges Barrage is built, it is estimated that an additional 2.6 million tonnes of food grains would be produced and 240,000 tonnes of fish would be available. Furthermore, the Ganges Barrage would have provided more water to the river near the Rooppur Nuclear Plant, being constructed in Pabna with Russian assistance.

June 23, 2015
June 23, 2015

A New Nepal

Since 2008, after abolishing monarchy, Nepal has gone through a rapid and unprecedented transformation in its political history. For the first time, the Himalayan nation of about 28 million has turned into a secular democratic Republic.