In a great stride of diplomacy, Bangladesh today was elected to the chair of a global council with an agenda against the development and use of chemical weapons.

Bangladesh envoy to Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal was elected as Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). 

Ambassador Belal was unanimously elected by the 41-member strong Executive Council of the OPCW, reads a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh is an inaugural signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which is a global disarmament agreement that bans production, storage and development of chemical weapons.

Ambassador Belal would be the 12th chairperson of the council since its establishments in 1997. Under the rotational system, the term for chairperson from Asian group is available after every five years and so far only four chairpersons from Asian group represented this body.