High-Level Delegation Led by Mexican FM due March 7-9

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday welcomed the proposed visit of a high-level delegation led by Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon on March 7-9, 2023 and expressed hope that his maiden visit would infuse vigor and vitality in the bilateral relations.

Momen thanked the announcement of the Mexican government to open their Embassy in Dhaka by 2023 which will further consolidate ties between the two countries and will boost trade and commerce, investment, exchange of visits between the businessmen, high officials and people-to-people contacts, reports UNB.

Federico Salas Lofte, non-resident Ambassador of Mexico, Alejandro Simancas Marin, non-resident Ambassador of Cuba, Sinisa Pavic, non-resident Ambassador of Serbia  and Menzie Sipho DLAMINI, non-resident High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Eswatini jointly met Foreign Minister Momen at the Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday following presentation of  their Letter of Credence to the President of Bangladesh at Bangabhaban. 

At the outset, the Foreign Minister welcomed the non-resident Ambassadors to Bangladesh.

At the joint calls on, Momen hoped that the bilateral relations among Bangladesh and the countries of accreditation would usher a new avenue during their tour of duty. 

Non-resident Ambassadors cordially exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation of mutual interests, including trade and investment, infrastructure development, connectivity, COVID situation and Russia-Ukraine crisis that disrupted the supply chain of wheat, fuel and edible oil and discussed ways and means to address the issue to offset the crisis.

Foreign Minister Momen fondly recalled about the great Cuban Leader Fidel Castro who once compared Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the Himalayas.

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of relations between Bangladesh and Cuba, the Cuban Ambassador handed over a congratulatory message to Momen from his Cuban counterpart.

Regarding Rohingya issue, Foreign Minister Momen underlined that Bangladesh is currently hosting 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals who were forced to flee their ancestral land in the face of rape, violence and persecution.

Bangladesh cannot afford to share its sovereign land any longer with its limited resource and land, he said.

The Foreign Minister urged the support of the respective governments to play an active role for the early repatriation of these Rohingya people to their homeland in Myanmar with safety, security and dignity.

Uncertainty and delay in their repatriation may attract them towards radicalism, trafficking, drugs smuggling and other cross border crimes which may threaten the security and stability of Bangladesh and Myanmar and beyond, he added.