Bangladesh
Bangladesh-UK UK to support Bangladesh's democratic process
Dhaka, June 20: The UK Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Anne-Marie Trevelyan has assured that the British government will continue to support the democratic process in Bangladesh.
According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, she gave this assurance during a meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam in London.
In the meeting, Alam expressed the assurance of the Bangladesh government to provide all possible assistance to the Election Commission for conducting free and fair general elections.
FCDO Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) expressed sincere gratitude to the British Government for attending the royal coronation ceremony of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He said Rishi Sunak was pleased to meet Hasina during the royal coronation. The British Minister expressed satisfaction with the signing of the Joint Agreement on Aviation Trade and Investment Partnership between Bangladesh and the UK government during the Prime Minister's visit to the UK last month.
The Minister of State thanked the British Government for its humanitarian assistance to Rohingya camps and political support for the safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar. He also said that the Rohingya crisis should not be overlooked by the international community.
The British Foreign Minister appreciated Bangladesh's generosity in providing shelter to the Rohingyas and noted that the issue deserves due attention of the international community.
The Minister of State informed the British Minister of State that the Bangladesh Cabinet had decided to join the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling last week, paving the way for the Convention to come into force.
The British Minister of State thanked the Government of Bangladesh for this decision and expressed willingness to work together for environment-friendly green shipping and maritime safety.
Both sides exchanged views on Commonwealth affairs, particularly trade and investment issues, and expressed hope that the upcoming Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum in Dhaka would be a success. Saida Muna Tasnim, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK and Kazi Russell Parvez, Director General (Western Europe and EU) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present in the meeting.
