The government has appointed Masud Bin Momen, a former permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN, as foreign secretary.
The foreign ministry announced the decision on Tuesday, a day after Shahidul Haque’s last day in office as foreign secretary.
After Haque’s contract ended, the government named Momen as acting foreign secretary on Tuesday morning and hours later promoted him to foreign secretary.
Prior to his new assignment, career diplomat Momen was working as the foreign secretary (bilateral) after returning home from the mission at the UN in New York.
He joined BCS Foreign Affairs cadre in 1985.
Momen studied economics at the Dhaka University, and international relations at the Tufts University, US.
He earlier served as the ambassador to Italy and Japan.
Momen had worked in Bangladesh’s permanent mission in New York and Bangladesh high commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad.
He had also worked in the SAARC Secretariat as a director.
His predecessor Haque was the longest serving foreign secretary of Bangladesh.
Haque was appointed as acting secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jan 10, 2013. He was promoted to secretary on Jul 19, the same year. The government elevated him to a senior secretary on Jul 30 this year.
The official from the foreign-service cadre of 1986 had worked at the International Organisation for Migration, taking special leave in 2001. Haque worked as the director of the International Cooperation and Partnership Division at the IOM in Geneva until he returned home.
Haque studied international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy after graduating from the Social Welfare Department at Dhaka University.
He is the second official in the foreign ministry never appointed as an ambassador. — bdnews24.com
