Bangladesh FM meets Serbian Foreign, Trade Minister and Labour Minister on the sidelines of the NAM meeting in Belgrade
Bangladesh Foreign Minister held meeting with the Serbian Foreign, Trade Minister and Labour Minister on the sidelines of the NAM meeting in Belgrade
The meeting came up on the sidelines of the 60th Commemorative events of the Non-Aligned Movement, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh held meetings with Mr. Nikola Selaković, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and Ms. Tatjana Matic, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication of Serbia.
During meeting with the Serbian Foreign Minister Dr. Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s non-aligned foreign policy as envisioned by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. While recalling with profound gratitude that former Yugoslavia was one of the first European countries to have recognised Bangladesh immediate after our independence, Bangladesh Minister stressed the need to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. The whole gamut of trade, investment, labour were discussed during the meeting. Dr. Momen informed his Serbian counterpart about the achievements of Bangladesh in containing the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic as well as its impacts on the economy of the country through early intervention and effective action. He also mentioned about our massive vaccination programme, which was highly lauded by the Serbian side. On the 50th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Dr. Momen emphasized on rejuvenation of the relationship between the two friendly countries. In this regard, he proposed to hold a Foreign Office Consultations which the Serbian Minister gladly welcomed. Both sides emphasized on the early signing of the two MoUs on Visa Waiver in respect of Diplomatic and Official Passports and Defence Co-Operation. Both sides also discussed about the possibility of hosting joint celebratory events to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister sought support of Serbia for the early repatriation of the Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland Myanmar.
On 13 October,2021, the Foreign Minister met Dr. Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. During the meeting the possibility of engaging Bangladeshi workforce in the development work of Serbia was discussed. Bangladesh Foreign Minister informed the Serbian minister about the hardworking workforce of Bangladesh who are contributing to the infra-structure development of many countries including in the Middle East. He proposed that Serbia can be benefitted from the expertize of Bangladeshi workforce specially in infrastructure development, health and tourism sectors. The Serbian Minister welcomed the idea and recommended to work closely towards conclusion of a cooperation agreement in the field of labour and employment. The meeting also featured discussion on different socio-economic issues. The Serbian labour minister was amazed at the remarkable progress of Bangladesh in women empowerment and girls’ education and highly lauded the political leadership of Bangladesh for firmly steering the country.
Earlier on 11 October,2021, Bangladesh Foreign Minister held a meeting with Ms. Tatjana Matic, Serbian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication. Terming Bangladesh “as a land of opportunities”, Dr. Momen highlighted the huge potential to increase trade relations between the two countries. He informed the Minister about the generous incentives offered by the Government of Bangladesh to foreign investors and invited Serbian business delegation to visit Bangladesh.
