While talking to a small group of journalists in the evening, Sir Simon said they have 16 separate topics that they will be discussing on Wednesday.
The signal is that, he said, it is an important relation and the two countries, two years ago, decided to lift the profile. “Strategic Dialogue is one way to do that.”
The strategic dialogue is a forum led by Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Md Shahidul Haque and Permanent Under Secretary of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“We each have a large delegation of officials to support us (in the dialogue),” said Sir Simon who will lead a 21-meber British delegation in the dialogue.
The UK side will have representatives from Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department of International Development, Department of Trade, UK Home Office/ UK Border Agency, Department of Transport, and Ministry of Defence.
On the other hand, Bangladesh side is expected to consist of the delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, Ministry of Defence, Economic Relations Division, Security Services Division, Special Branch of Bangladesh Police, and Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, said the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Tuesday.
The dialogue will discuss bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, along with other regional and multilateral issues, including Rohingya, countering terrorism and violent extremism, growing focus on trade and investment relations, new areas of cooperation, regional connectivity and stability, and wide range of global issues including climate change, migration, cooperation in UN peacekeeping, Sustainable Development Goals, and Development partnership in the LDC gradation process.
Sir Simon will deliver a lecture on UK-Bangladesh relations in the era of UK’s exit from the EU at Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies (BIISS) on Wednesday afternoon.
Besides, the UK PUS will have a bilateral tête-à-tête with his Bangladesh counterpart. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem will attend the dialogue.
Sir Simon is scheduled to leave here on Wednesday night.