Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh H.E. Ms. Alexandra Berg von Linde congratulated the Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud on his appointment as the Foreign Minister and handed over a congratulatory letter from the Swedish Foreign Minister H. E. Mr. Tobias Billström addressed to Hon’ble Foreign Minister, during an introductory courtesy call on 30 January 2024 afternoon, at the latter’s office.
The Foreign Minister thanked his Swedish counterpart for the felicitation message and fondly recalled his last meeting with the Swedish Foreign Minister in Stockholm during the 2nd Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in May last year. Appreciating SIDA’s role in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh in the early days after our independence, he hoped to further strengthen the historic ties between the two countries. He invited Swedish investments and expertise in renewable energy, ICT, particularly in our Hi-Tech and Software Technology parks, waste management, including waste-to-energy sectors.
The Foreign Minister thanked the Swedish Government for their humanitarian assistance to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, and support to the host communities as well as political support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya crisis. He further stressed the need for international pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar at an early date for the sake of peace and stability in the region.
The Swedish Ambassador commented that the focus of the relations between the two countries has shifted from development cooperation to mostly trade and investment. She underlined Swedish expertise in waste-recycling and waste-to-energy production, green-tech solutions, and digitalization and offered Swedish technological support and investments in this regard. The Ambassador expressed satisfaction with the existing business relations and operations of more than 50 Swedish companies in Bangladesh, including renowned brands like H&M, Ericsson, Scania, and Volvo.
Both sides also discussed issues concerning climate change, green transition, democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, and contemporary global issues, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and their humanitarian and economic consequences.