ডেস্ক নিউজ
Bangladesh and Algeria have expressed willingness to strengthen bilateral ties for enhanced substantive cooperation in the fields of trade and commerce, socioeconomic development and people-to-people contacts to the mutual benefits of the two countries.
Bangladesh hoped that the reopening of the Algerian mission in Dhaka on the eve of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and of the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence will usher in newer avenues of bilateral cooperation.
Newly appointed Ambassador of Algeria to Bangladesh Rabah Larbi met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Sunday at their respective offices at the Foreign Ministry following his recent presentation of credentials to President Md Abdul Hamid.
Both the ministers welcomed the new ambassador and assured him of all-out cooperation in discharging his duties, particularly in facilitating the reopening process of the new Algerian mission in Dhaka.
They appreciated the Algerian government’s decision in reopening their resident diplomatic mission in Dhaka in reciprocity of reopening of the Bangladesh mission in Algeria in 2016.
Dr Momen and Shahriar recalled with happiness the historic visit of Bangabandhu to Algeria to attend the Fourth NAM Summit in September 1973 and appreciated the Algerian government’s gesture in preserving the honoured memory of Bangabandhu’s historic visit through dedicating a corner in the Palace of Nations in Algiers for displaying his pictures and sayings.
They recalled with gratitude that Algeria was among the first Arab countries to accord political recognition to Bangladesh by sponsoring Bangladesh’s admission into the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) during the Fourth NAM Summit held in Algiers in 1973, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The ministers reminisced about the close friendship between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and then Algerian President Huari Boumedienne and expressed the hope that their legacy will be followed to revitalise the bilateral relations through increased interaction and engagement.
The new ambassador emphasised on further consolidating bilateral relations, especially through holding political consultations and boosting economic and trade linkages.
He showed interest in importing quality products from Bangladesh, including pharmaceuticals, jute and jute products, readymade garments and other consumer goods.
The foreign minister urged the Algerian ambassador to explore opportunities for cooperation in energy, air connectivity and skilled manpower, among other potential sectors, and emphasised on the importance of exchange of visits both at public and and private sector levels to reap the benefit of people-to-contacts.
