Asad Alam Siam appointed as foreign secretary

The interim government has appointed Asad Alam Siam as the new foreign secretary.

He was previously serving as Bangladeshi ambassador to the United States.

The foreign ministry issued an official notification on Thursday confirming his new role, adding that he will serve as foreign secretary until further notice.

The order will come into effect from Friday, Jun 20.

His predecessor Jasim Uddin took over as foreign secretary a month after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5, 2024.

An officer from the 13th batch of the BCS foreign service cadre, Jasim joined as foreign secretary on Sept 8, 2024. He is scheduled to go on post-retirement leave in December 2026.

In May, the government decided to remove Jasim from the post of foreign secretary after only eight months in office.

Following his removal, the foreign ministry’s official Ruhul Alam Siddiqui assumed the role of acting foreign secretary on May 22.

Siam, a foreign cadre officer of the 15th BCS, was sent as the ambassador to Washington by the interim government in December 2024.

He previously served as Bangladesh's ambassador to the Philippines and Austria. He was also the inspector general of missions, overseeing Bangladesh missions abroad.

Siam was the chief of protocol and rector of the Foreign Service Academy.

He also served as the director general of the Europe and European Union Division at the headquarters and as the director in the Offices of the Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary.