Political Consultations between Bangladesh and Greece held in Dhaka

DHAKA, Oct. 24 (NsNewsWire) — Political Consultation between Bangladesh and Greece was held on 23
October at the State Guest House Meghna. Bangladesh side was led by
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque and Greek side was led by Ambassador
Dimitrios Paraskevopoulous (w`wgwÎI cvivm‡K‡fvcyjk), Secretary General
(Foreign Secretary) of the Hellenic Republic (Greece). The second
political Consultations between the two countries took place, six
years after the first Political Consultation which was held in Athens
in April 2010. Bangladesh Ambassador to Greece Md. Jashim Uddin and
Greek Ambassador to Bangladesh Panos Kalogeropoulos  (c¨v‡bvm
Kv‡jv‡M‡ivcyjk) , among others, were present during the meeting.

The meeting discussed the whole range of bilateral relations including
exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual
interests. Both sides agreed to work together to deepen and widen
areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary apprised his Greek counterpart about the
sustained economic growth in Bangladesh, including global acclamation
for our socio-economic progress under the visionary leadership of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In that context, Foreign Secretary Haque
invited Greek businesses to seize the opportunity to explore
investment potentials in Bangladesh, a growing hub of economic
activities in the region. He also requested the Greek side to consider
increasing import of Bangladeshi goods. The Greek Secretary General
expressed interest about enhanced economic collaboration in
agriculture, infrastructure/construction and shipping sectors.
Besides, the meeting also exchanged views on how to make attestation
of documents easier for Bangladeshi expatriates living in Greece. Both
sides also agreed to work together to organize high level visits in
the near future.

The Foreign Secretary also briefed his counterpart on the relations of
Bangladesh with its neighboring countries. The meeting also exchanged
views on regional and international issues, particularly the on-going
refugee and migration crisis in Europe. In that context, the Foreign
Secretary briefed his Greek counterpart about the preparation for the
9th Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) to be held in
Dhaka in December 2016. The Greek Secretary General assured to send a
high level delegation to participate in the GFMD in Dhaka.

The Greek Secretary General called on the State Minister for Foreign
Affairs Shahriar Alam, MP at his office this morning and exchanged
views about ways and means for further strengthening and consolidating
ties between the two countries, particularly for enhanced trade and
investment. Expressing his satisfaction at the 2nd Political
Consultations between the two countries, State Minister Alam
encouraged the Secretary General to open a new Greek embassy in Dhaka
at the earliest with a view to facilitate enhanced people-to-people
contact, as it would boost bilateral relations in economic, cultural,
educational and related spheres.

The Greek Foreign Secretary also paid a visit to the Language Martyrs
Monument and one Greek installation inside the Dhaka University. He
also gave a talk on “Migration and Security” at the Bangladesh
Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).