Bangladesh, Brazil to boost bilateral relation

The second Foreign Office Consultations between Bangladesh and Brazil was held in Brasilia on Monday (October 2).

Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud Bin Momen and Secretary General of Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Laura da Rocha, led their respective delegations to the consultations.

The Bangladesh delegation under the Foreign Secretary also included Bangladesh’s newly appointed Ambassador to Brazil, Sadia Faizunnesa, while for Brazil, representatives included Secretary of Asia Pacific & Russia Division Ambassador Eduardo Saboia and other diplomats of related divisions.

Bangladesh embassy in Brazil revealed the information on Tuesday (October 3).

Diverse spheres, including climate change, tech development objectives, food and nutrition security, health services, gender matters and human rights, and UN reconstruction, and facilitated detailed discussions centring on the standpoints of the respective countries were discussed in this bilateral meeting.

Also, the potential areas for bilateral trade and investment, and discussions concerning the Bangladesh Preferential Trade Agreement/Free Trade Agreement (PTA/FTA) with Mercosur, the regional trade bloc in South America, were given priority during the consultation.

Foreign Secretary Momen highlighted the remarkable socio-economic development of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her futuristic planning to achieve tech development targets by 2030 to form a knowledge and technology-reliant smart Bangladesh by 2041.

Meanwhile, Maria Rocha praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership in addressing challenges like poverty alleviation and dealing with climate change.

She also expressed her interest in elevating the friendly and cooperative relationship between both countries with the expansion of bilateral trade.

In the afternoon of the same day, the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary also had a courtesy meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

During the meeting, Minister Vieira appraised Bangladesh’s extraordinary socio-economic development over the last decade, expressing interest in collaborating with Bangladesh in various international forums and arenas, including trade and investment.

The Foreign Minister of Brazil also acknowledged the love and support of Bangladeshi nationals for Brazilian football during the World Cup.

A letter inked by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, inviting the Brazilian President to visit Bangladesh and supporting Brazil’s leadership initiative at the G-20 Forum, was handed over to the Brazilian Foreign Minister by the Foreign Secretary.

Masud Bin Momen is scheduled to attend the first Foreign Office Consultation between Bangladesh and Chile on the 4-5 October during his current official tour in Santiago, the capital of Chile.