Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M Shahidul Islam has laid emphasis on exploring the untapped potentials between Bangladesh and Colombia for further strengthening the relations in diverse areas. 

"It's time to explore the untapped potentials," he said after presenting his Letters of Credence as the non-resident Ambassador to Cambodian President Ivan Duque Marquez in a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Bogota, Colombia recently.

The Ambassador thanked the Colombian government for its consistent support to the Rohingya issue at the UN. 

He underscored that his prime objective as the Ambassador to Colombia would be to explore the potential for deepening cooperation and overall relations between the two countries and two peoples.

Appreciating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership role in promoting the cause of the climate-vulnerable countries, the President agreed to participate at the high-level opening session of the Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit organised by the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance, which Bangladesh presides, to take place virtually on July 8.

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The Colombian President accepted the Letter of Credence as the symbol of friendship between two countries and emphasized that the two countries have common goals and aspirations, and they would continue to work together to strengthen the bilateral relations.

Ambassador Islam conveyed the warm greetings of the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh during the meeting with the President held after the presentation ceremony. 

He noted that Bangladesh and Colombia enjoy excellent relations, and both these countries share similar views on many international issues like international peace, security and stability, fight against terrorism and violent extremism, Human Rights, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Climate Change, etc. 

Earlier, the Ambassador attended a luncheon reception hosted by Vice President and Foreign Minister of Colombia Marta Lucía Ramírez. 

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They discussed a range of bilateral issues, including Enhancement of Bilateral Engagement, Economic and Trade cooperation, Upcoming challenges with the Covid pandemic, vaccine cooperation, Rohingya issue and counterterrorism. 

Later, the Ambassador met Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Echeverri Lara and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia.