Mr. Federico Salas Lofte, non-resident Ambassador of Mexico, Mr. Alejandro Simancas Marin, non-resident Ambassador of Cuba, Mr. Sinisa Pavic, non-resident Ambassador of Serbia and Mr. Menzie Sipho DLAMINI, non-resident High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Eswatini jointly called on Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen, MP today at the Foreign Service Academy following presentation of their Letter of Credence to the President of Bangladesh at Bangabhaban.
At the outset, Foreign Minister welcomed the non-resident Ambassadors to Bangladesh. At the joint calls on, Foreign Minister hoped that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the countries of accreditation would usher in a new avenue during their tour of duty. Non-resident Ambassadors cordially exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation of mutual interests, including trade and investment, infrastructure development, connectivity, the COVID situation, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis that disrupted the supply chain of wheat, fuel, and edible oil and discussed ways and means to address the issue to offset the problem.
Foreign Minister fondly recalled the great Cuban Leader Mr. Fidel Castro who once compared our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the Himalayas. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of relations between Bangladesh and Cuba, the Cuban Ambassador handed over a congratulatory message to Dr. Momen from his Cuban counterpart.
Dr. Momen welcomed the proposed visit of a high-level delegation led by Mexican Foreign Minister Mr. Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon on 7-9 March 2023 and expressed hope that his maiden visit would infuse vigor and vitality in the bilateral relations. Dr. Momen thanked the announcement of the Mexican government to open their Embassy in Dhaka by 2023 which will further consolidate ties between the two countries and boost trade & commerce, investment, and exchange of visits between businessmen, high officials, and people-to-people contacts.
Regarding the Rohingya issue, Foreign Minister underlined that Bangladesh is currently hosting 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals who were forced to flee their ancestral land in the face of rape, violence, and persecution. Bangladesh can no longer afford to share its sovereign land with its limited resource and land. Foreign Minister urged the support of the respective governments to play an active role in the early repatriation of these Rohingya people to their homeland in Myanmar with safety, security, and dignity. Uncertainty and delay in their repatriation may attract them towards radicalism, trafficking, drug smuggling, and other cross-border crimes which may threaten the security and stability of Bangladesh and Myanmar and beyond, he added.