Bangladesh and the United Kingdom on Wednesday discussed ways to deepen the ties between the two countries by working together on shared challenges.
“We have discussed ways on how we can further deepen the relations. We discussed in detail about multifaceted cooperation,” Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters after his meeting with British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke at his office at the ministry.
He said the UK is a big development partner of Bangladesh and they have a significant investment here.
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The foreign minister said they specially discussed cooperation in the areas of ICT, cyber security, cooperation between the two central banks, climate change and Rohingya repatriation.
“On climate change front, we are working with the UK both locally and in the international forums,” he said.
The foreign minister said his British counterpart David Cameron sent a message congratulating him on his appointment as foreign minister of Bangladesh and expressed willingness to work together to strengthen the relations.
British High Sarah Cooke handed over the letter to foreign minister Hasan Mahmud during their meeting.
She also laid emphasis on working together to strengthen the ties between Bangladesh and the UK.
During her meeting with Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she also discussed how they can work together on challenges like climate change, migration and welfare of the Rohingyas.
The British envoy said they also discussed trade and investment issues and ways to strengthen the security partnership between the two countries.
She said they will continue to engage constructively with the government of Bangladesh and political parties on democracy and human rights issues.
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“Good meeting with Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. We discussed strengthening our partnership on Bangladesh-UK trade and investment, security, migration, climate change and welfare of the Rohingya,” she said.
The UK encourages dialogue and reconciliation in political life in Bangladesh, she said in a brief message shared on X, formerly known as twitter.
Regarding the Rohingya crisis, the foreign minister said their repatriation is the only solution.
Responding to a question on the human rights issue, Hasan said certainly human rights is an issue globally and every country is working for improvement in this area.
The United Kingdom and Bangladesh share a deep and historic friendship.
Creating the conditions for a sustainable political settlement and vibrant civil society will enable long-term growth, said the British government in a statement on January 8 after the recent national election in Bangladesh.
The UK encouraged all political parties to address their differences and find a common way forward in the interests of the people of Bangladesh. “We will continue to support this process.”