Brief history on Bilateral Relations between Iran and Bangladesh
Diplomatic Relations between Iran and Bangladesh before the Islamic Revolution:
When Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan as East Pakistan, Consulate General and Cultural Center of Iran was functioning in Dhaka. Since Iran’s Kingdom was at the support of Pakistan, after the independence of Bangladesh in 26th March 1971, the Consulate General and the Cultural Center of Iran got closed.
After the recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan at the second session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore (February 1974), Iran also officially recognized the country in 22th February 1974. It was 2 years after the independence of Bangladesh.
In June 1974, a delegation headed by Kamal Hussain the then foreign minister of Bangladesh, visited Iran. During the visit two sides agreed to exchange ambassadors in order to improve the relations of the countries. In 21th June 1974 Bangladesh embassy was established in Iran and in 24th January 1975 Iran embassy was also established in Bangladesh.
Subsequently Bangladeshi top officials visited Iran few times. In May 1976 General Ziaur Rahman had a short stay in Tehran while returning from the 7th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul. He later paid a 4-day official visit to Iran as the head of the military government of Bangladesh in March 1978.
In August 1977, three members of Bangladesh Parliament visited Tehran at the invitation of Iran’s Home Ministry. They also visited Esfehan and Tabriz, two major tourist destinations in Iran.
Diplomatic Relations of the two countries after the Islamic Revolution of Iran:
During the Islamic revolution of Iran in 1979, General Ziaur Rahman maintained silence. The Bangladeshi private newspapers used to support the Islamic Revolution of Iran and to write supportive articles in favor of the historic movement of Iranians. At that time Iran and Bangladesh maintained the diplomatic relations at the charge d'affairs level. When Iraq invaded Iran in September 1980, Bangladesh adopted a policy of neutrality.
As General Hussain Muhammad Ershad seized power in Bangladesh in 1982, Iran was under international pressures from western countries. In this situation the possibility of economic benefit of Bangladesh from the high potentials of Iran, resulted in gradual development of the two countries relations.
In October 1981, the first ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Dhaka started his mission. In February 1983 a delegation headed by the Iranian commerce vice minister visited Bangladesh. During this visit two sides signed a MoU for cooperation on trade, shipping and importing crude oil from Iran.
In 1983 Air Vice Marshal Sultan Mahmud, deputy of the military government of Bangladesh who was also the chief of air staff and was in charge of ministry of oil and energy, visited Iran and met Iranian top officials including president, prime minister and the ministers of foreign affairs, oil, and commerce.
In 1986 a delegation headed by Javad Mansouri cultural and consular deputy foreign minister of Iran visited Bangladesh and had meetings with the government officials.
The relations between the two countries started to develop after Begom Khaleda Zia came to power. In 1991 labor minister of Bangladesh visited Iran to discuss Bangladeshi work forces with the government officials. During this visit he met his Iranian counterpart and it was decided that while importing foreign work force Iran will give priority to Bangladeshi skilled work forces. The Bangladeshi minister also presented the official invitation of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia addressed the president of the Islamic republic of Iran, to the deputy president.
In August 1991, Mostafizur Rahman the foreign minister of Bangladesh visited Iran and met the president and the ministers of foreign affairs, commerce, and labor. At the end of this visit, an agreement on cultural, scientific, and technical cooperation was signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries.
After some years of negotiation between the aviation officials of Iran and Bangladesh, the first ever direct flight of BIMAN (Bangladesh airlines) from Dhaka to Tehran was done on 17th February 1992.
In May 1992, Iranian foreign minister met the president, prime minister and foreign minister of Bangladesh in Dhaka. During the meetings major areas of bilateral cooperation including banking, shipping and trade cooperation were discussed.
The visit of Late Ayatollah Rafsanjani the then president of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Bangladesh in 10th-12th October 1995 was a milestone in strengthening of bilateral relations. It was the first ever state visit of a head of government of Iran to Bangladesh after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. During the visit the sides signed six memorandums of understandings.
After that Bangladeshi prime ministers visited Iran three times to attend international events:
- In December 1997 PM Sheikh Hasina visited Iran to attend 8th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference.
- In February 2004 PM Khaleda Zia visited Iran to attend 4th summit of D-8 organization
- In August 2012 PM Sheikh Hasina visited Iran to attend 16th summit of Non-Aligned Movement
Exchange of the high ranking delegation between Islamic Republic of Iran and People's Republic of Bangladesh over the past 15 years:
Visit of a political and economic delegation headed by the Foreign Minister of Iran to Dhaka (2002)
Visit of the Commerce Minister of Iran to Dhaka (2005)
Visit of the Culture Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran (2005)
Visit of the president of Tehran Chamber of Commerce to Dhaka (2005)
Visit of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran (2006)
Visit of the Finance Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran to take part in the 4th Joint Economic Commission (2006)
Visit of the members of the City Council of Tehran to Dhaka (2007)
Visit of a judicial delegation headed by the Attorney General of Bangladesh to Tehran (2007)
Visit of the Tourism Secretary of Bangladesh to Tehran (2008)
Visit of the Deputy Agriculture Minister of Iran to Dhaka (2010)
Visit of the Industries Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran to attend the D-8 meeting (2010)
Visit of the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran to attend ACD ministerial meeting (2011)
Visit of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran to Dhaka (2012)
Visit of the Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade to Dhaka to take part in the 5th Joint Economic Commission (2013)
Visit of the Speaker of Parliament of Bangladesh to Tehran to attend the 9th OIC parliamentary Union meeting (2014)
Visit of the International Affairs Adviser of the prime minister of Bangladesh to Iran to participate in the NAM Special Committee on Palestine (2014)
Visit of the female members of Iranian parliament to Dhaka (2014)
Visit of the members of Iranian parliament to Dhaka (2014)
Visit of the Minister of Information of Bangladesh to Tehran to attend the 10th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers (2014)
Visit of the Industries Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran (2015)
Visit of the Education Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran to attend the NAM ministerial meeting on science, technology and innovation (2015)
Visit of the Minister of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh to Tehran (2015)
Visit of the Governor of Iran central bank to Dhaka to attend the 44th ACU Board of Directors' Meeting (2015)
Visit of the Foreign Minister of Iran to Dhaka (2015)
Visit of the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization to Dhaka (2016)
Visit of the head of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry / FBCCI to Tehran (2016)
Visit of the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation of Bangladesh to Tehran (2016)
Visit of the Industries Minister of Bangladesh to Tehran (2016)
Visit of the members of Iranian parliament to Dhaka to attend 136th IPU Assembly (2017)
Visit of the H.E. Mohammad Javad Zarif the Honorable Foreign Minister of Iran to attend the 3rd IORA Blue Economy Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka (2019) followed by separate and exclusive bilateral meetings with H.E. The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Parliament Speaker of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh.
In August 2021, H.E. Shahriar Alam the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh visited Iran to take part in the swearing-in Ceremony of the new Iranian President-Elect of Iran, H.E. Ibrahim Raisi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with Shahriar Alam, the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, who is in Tehran on behalf of his government to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president. In the meeting, the Bangladeshi diplomat and the Iranian Foreign Minister conferred on issues in bilateral relations in different political, economic, and cultural spheres. Foreign Minister Zarif thanked the Bangladeshi government for sending a high-ranking delegation headed by the country's State Minister of Foreign Affairs to the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president. He also reviewed different aspects of relations between the two countries in bilateral and multilateral areas, especially collaborations at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Dhaka's stances regarding the issue of Palestine. Foreign Minister Zarif further praised the Bangladeshi government's cooperation in the past eight years on promoting its ties with Iran. He also pointed to President Ebrahim Raisi's special attention to Iran's ties with the regional countries, especially the country's neighbours, and expressed hope that relations and collaborations between Tehran and Dhaka would further expand in the coming period, and the use of creative ways to promote mutual cooperation will continue. The Bangladeshi diplomat, in turn, highlighted the grounds for promotion of mutual cooperation in various bilateral fields as well as other areas of cooperation. He also praised Foreign Minister Zarif's eight-year efforts for bilateral relations between the two countries. Issues related to the Rohingya refugees, cooperation at the OIC, and direct flights between the two countries were among other topics discussed by the two top diplomats.
Mr. Alam also met with the new Iranian President. In the meeting, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi referred to the long-standing and cultural relations between Iran and Bangladesh, and said, "We have serious determination for development of relations between the two countries in all fields, especially economy, and we consider taking advantage of the existing capacities in favour of the welfare and progress of the two nations”. Ayatollah Raisi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the cooperation and joint investments of the two countries in the development of relations”. The President also praised Bangladesh for hosting and supporting Myanmar refugees and said, "We hope you will do your best to free the Muslim and oppressed people of Myanmar from oppression". In this meeting, the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam expressed hope that the relations between the two countries would develop and improve in the new term, adding, "Bangladesh calls on Iran to participate in the path of economic development".
Joint meetings and signed documents:
So far 5 rounds of Joint Economic Commission between Iran and Bangladesh were held. The last round held in Dhaka on 15-16 May, 2013. Different types of agreements such as Agreement on Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investment, Agreement on Shipping and Maritime Trade, Agreement on Air Transport, Trade Agreement, Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, Preferential Trade Agreement, and a MOU on Scientific and educational cooperation were signed too.