Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday sought the UK’s support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the upcoming Presidency of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for the term 2026-2027.
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke who met the Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ‘committed to relay’ Bangladeshi candidate’s competency to the headquarters and assured that the UK would give ‘due consideration’ to Bangladesh’s candidature.
The Foreign Minister and the High Commissioner discussed on exploring new avenues for collaboration, particularly in areas of mutual interest such as education, migration, security cooperation, Rohingya repatriation and enhancing the ties between our peoples.
The Foreign Minister urged the UK to continue playing its leadership role in the United Nations Security Council and other international fora for speedy returns of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
The Foreign Minister appreciated the UK for sending Seema Malhotra, Minister for the Indo-Pacific, during the oath-taking ceremony of the new government.
Both sides noted with satisfaction the deep historical ties, strong people-to-people connections, and the vibrant Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom, which continues to serve as a vital bridge between the two countries.
"We had a very good discussion where we reaffirmed strength and depth of the UK-Bangladesh partnership," the British High Commissioner told reporters after the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She said they discussed strengthening cooperation across the whole range of different areas in support of their shared priorities including economic growth, migration, security, climate change and also the Rohingya.
"As you know UK has very long standing partnership with Bangladesh and we are very much looking forward to continuing to work closely together in this new chapter for the country," said the British High Commissioner.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing optimism about the future trajectory of Bangladesh-United Kingdom relations and reaffirming their commitment to closer collaboration on bilateral, regional, and global issues of shared interest.
The UK’s generous trade preference regime, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), can help Bangladesh diversify its exports and create new opportunities for Bangladeshi businesses, whilst lowering prices for UK consumers.
The UK is one of the largest investors in Bangladesh.
