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State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir has been tasked with leading the Bangladesh delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). For the duration of this official visit, he has been granted the full rank, status, and executive authority of a Cabinet Minister to serve as the Acting Foreign Minister.
The Cabinet Division's Government Formation and Protocol Branch issued an official gazette notification in this regard on Sunday (October 25). Signed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani by order of the President, the notification stated that in accordance with Rule 4(3) of the Rules of Business, 1996, Humayun Kabir has been vested with full ministerial powers to lead the Bangladesh delegation and discharge the duties of the Foreign Minister during the summit.
This year's Commonwealth summit is scheduled to take place from November 1 to November 4 in Saint John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda. Humayun Kabir was appointed to head the mission as both Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman are unable to attend.
There are established precedents in recent history of foreign ministers or foreign affairs advisers leading the Bangladesh delegation in place of the head of government. At the Commonwealth summit held in Apia, Samoa, from October 21 to October 26, 2024, the then Foreign Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain represented Bangladesh after announcing that Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus would not attend. Earlier, during the Awami League administration in 2022, then Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen represented Bangladesh at the Kigali summit in Rwanda in place of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to diplomatic sources, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to depart for Japan after midnight on Sunday for a four-day official visit from October 26 to October 29, during which he will hold bilateral talks with the Japanese Prime Minister. Shortly after returning from Tokyo, the Commonwealth summit is set to begin, and the Prime Minister is also slated to attend a climate summit in Turkey in the second week of November. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman currently serves as the President of the United Nations General Assembly, making it impossible for him to participate in the Antigua and Barbuda gathering. Under these circumstances, the government entrusted State Minister Humayun Kabir with leading the national delegation.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/national/1f1d090b-8cb3-6830-b3a5-6121b1a816ea