Shama Obaed calls for promoting safe, regular migration

Bangladesh on Monday underscored the importance of safe, orderly, and regular migration, issuing a stern warning that unscrupulous syndicates involved in illegal migration practices would be brought under the law, reports UNB.

The warning was issued during a meeting on migration, mobility, and the Bangladesh situation held at the State Guest House Padma at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of the recent deaths of Bangladeshi migrants in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting the perilous Bangladesh-Libya-Italy route through irregular channels.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, senior government officials, the Ambassador of Italy, the CDA a.i. of Libya, and the Chief of IOM Mission in Dhaka participated in the discussion, which was chaired by Shama Obaed.

During the meeting, the State Minister highlighted the “zero tolerance” commitment of the new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman toward illegal migration.

At the session, Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro informed that the European Union is going to enact a new regulation on asylum and migration in June 2026, under which the asylum process would become tougher for illegal migrants seeking legal status.

The discussion also focused on future expansion of safe, orderly, and regular migration pathways by equipping migrants with skills, language proficiency, and making regular migration channels more attractive.

Participants underlined the need to connect skill training with employment opportunities and to collaborate with employers in destination countries in order to establish employment-guaranteed migration frameworks for a well-managed regular migration pathway.

The State Minister also opined that the Bangladeshi diaspora should be engaged so that they could contribute more through remittances, capital, expertise, and ideas imbued with the vision of “Bangladesh First” to push Bangladesh onto a development trajectory envisioned by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The meeting concluded with a general agreement among all partners to continue working together in close coordination to curb illegal migration, promote regular migration, and maintain a humane, regular, and rights-based approach throughout the migration process.