Bangladesh became the 26th member of the ARF, which was established in 1994. The ARF deals with issues concerning security of the Asia-Pacific region.

Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, who is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the ARF meeting, expressed his appreciation to all the members for their support to Bangladesh's admission.

In a statement at the inaugural session, he called upon the international community to take urgent steps for resolving the crisis in Lebanon and the occupied territories.

Morshed assured that Bangladesh's participation in the forum would contribute towards strengthening the cause of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

On security concerns, he highlighted issues including disarmament, non-proliferation, small arms and terrorism, stressing the need for international cooperation on these issues.

The foreign minister offered to share with the participating countries Bangladesh's extensive experience as the world's leading troops contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.

He particularly emphasised disaster management, suggesting that best practices developed in Bangladesh could help regional countries in dealing with natural disasters.

The 13th ARF meeting concluded with a statement by the chairman. It stressed the urgency of ceasefire in the Middle East. The statement dealt with the Korean nuclear situation, welcoming the convening of inter-Korean talks.

The ARF welcomed the continued engagement of Asean with Myanmar, calling for the lifting of restrictions and effective dialogue with all parties. Other matters dealt with in the meeting included the Iraq situation, terrorism and maritime security.

Earlier, at a breakfast meeting on the Middle East crisis, convened by the foreign minister of Malaysia, Morshed strongly condemned the Israeli aggression and the killing of innocent civilians. He called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire followed by dialogue to resolve the crisis.

He stressed the need for ensuring access for humanitarian assistance to the affected areas. He also condemned the killing of unarmed UN observers.

Apart from Bangladesh and Malaysia, the meeting was attended by foreign ministers of Indonesia and Pakistan. The Iranian foreign minister also attended on a special invitation.

The ministers issued a strong statement condemning Israeli action and called for immediate ceasefire.

On the sidelines, Morshed held a separate meeting with his Chinese counterpart and discussed bilateral and other issues of mutual concern.

The Chinese foreign minister thanked Bangladesh for her initiative for granting Saarc observer status to China.

Morshed also held a meeting with the foreign minister of the Philippines.