Saed Hmaid Almheiri, Khurshed Alam win Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina awarded two foreign affairs experts with the "Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence" on Monday.

Former ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates Saed Mohammed Saed Hmaid Almheiri and Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam were awarded the medals for their diplomatic roles from their respective positions.

The premier participated in the award ceremony, held today at the Foreign Services Academy in the capital, virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

The two winners are chosen by the prime minister herself after a high-level committee formed to shortlist the candidates submits their proposal mentioning the names of the deserving candidates.

Sheikh Hasina in her speech said, "Saed Mohammed Saed Hmaid Almheiri made an outstanding contribution to the development of bilateral relations and protection of mutual interests with the UAE, during his tenure as ambassador."

"He was instrumental in the resumption of labour exports from Bangladesh to the UAE. In addition, he played a significant role in signing a number of bilateral agreements on seaport development, power sector development and UAE investment in special economic zones," she added.

About the other winner, she said, "Secretary Md Khurshed Alam has been working for the maritime delimitation of Bangladesh, international maritime diplomacy, and the blue economy. As Bangladesh's deputy agent in maritime cases with India and Myanmar, he collected the necessary data to establish a policy of fairness instead of a policy of equal distance in court."

"After completing the survey activities in the Bay of Bengal under his leadership, Bangladesh raised the issue of continental shelf within the time frame set by UNCLOS in 2011. He formulated Bangladesh's "Blue Economic Development Action Plan,"  PM added.

Md Khurshed Alam was elected as the president of the International Sea-Bed Authority in 2020.

The Government of Bangladesh has introduced the Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence to inspire peace-loving people and diplomats around the world.