The government has appointed Md Jashim Uddin as the 27th foreign secretary of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.

A career diplomat, Jashim joined Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1994.

Jashim, from the 13th batch of BCS (foreign affairs) cadre, served extensively both at home and abroad.

Prior to his appointment as foreign secretary, he was serving as Bangladesh’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China with concurrent accreditation to Mongolia.

He also served as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Qatar from 2020 to 2022 and as Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Malta and Republic of Armenia from 2015 to 2020.

Jashim Uddin’s smbassadorial assignments were preceded by stints as deputy high commissioner at the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad from 2012 to 2013; as minister and deputy chief of Mission at the Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC from 2008 to 2012; as counsellor at Bangladesh embassy in Tokyo from 2003 to 2005; and as first secretary and counselor at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi from 2000 to 2003.

In between, he also served at the headquarters in different capacities. From 2013 to 2015, he was director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka in charge of South Asia as well as the East Asia and Pacific Wings. From 2005 to 2008, he was director in charge of South Asia in Dhaka.

A student of International Relations, ambassador Md Jashim Uddin did both his Bachelor’s and Master’s from University of Dhaka.

Later on, he obtained an MA Degree in Modern International Studies from University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He also attended a yearlong course at the National Defence College in Dhaka.

On September 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bid farewell to immediate past foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen, though his contractual appointment was scheduled to end in December this year.

Foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossan and senior officials of the ministry were present at the ceremony.

Masud Momen’s contractual appointment was cancelled a day after his formal farewell.

The previous government extended the tenure of foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen by two more years under a contractual appointment effective from December 6, 2022 or from the date of his joining.