News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh called for Spain’s proactive support for Bangladesh’s stance on returning Rohingyas to Myanmar.
It also called on Spain to join the US, UK, Netherlands and Germany in supporting the Gambia in the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Bangladesh Ambassador to Spain Mohammad Sarwar Mahmood made these demands during a bilateral meeting with Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation Pilar Cancela Rodriguez at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in capital Madrid on Tuesday (October 4, 2022).
Ambassador Sarwar Mahmood also requested Spanish support to Bangladesh’s bid for the recognition of March 25 as the International Genocide Day and also to Bangladesh’s candidature to the upcoming elections of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).
Secretary Rodriguez commended Bangladesh’s national position on the Rohingya issue and said, “The issue calls for concerted international efforts”.
“As for supporting Gambia at the ICJ, Spain will examine the facts in detail and then decide,” she added.
Secretary of State Rodriguez assured to present Bangladesh’s request to his government regarding the proposal of recognition of International Genocide Day and support for the candidature of ‘HRC’ and ‘ICAO’ elections.
The Ambassador briefed Secretary Rodriguez about the spectacular forward march of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said, “Bangladesh is set to become the 25th largest economy of the world by 2035′.
Sarwar Mahmood said, “This year, Spain and Bangladesh are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Apart from trade, there remain ample opportunities to expand the relations to novel areas of cooperation.”
He requested Secretary Rodriguez to exert her good offices in facilitating the early signing of several bilateral instruments under process, namely, MoUs/agreements on youth and sports, cultural exchange, collaboration between diplomatic
training institutes, mutual exemption of visa for diplomatic and official passports, maritime education and training and recruitment of Bangladeshi seasonal workforce in the agricultural sector of Spain.
In addition, the Ambassador proposed close engagement between Bangladesh and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and requested to offer scholarships to young diplomats of Bangladesh for learning the Spanish language.
Pilar Cancela Rodriguez assured the speedy signing of the Memoranda of Understanding and ongoing agreements between Bangladesh and Spain and all possible support to take action on the proposed proposals.
She said, “Both Bangladesh and Spain are rich in cultural heritage. Besides strengthening cultural relations, enhancing scientific and technical cooperation merits due attention.”
