British envoy praises govt's efforts for political dialogue

British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake has highly appreciated the government's offer to hold a dialogue with other political parties.

She said the UK welcomes the government's move to establish a dialogue with all political parties as Bangladesh has set a very ambitious target of becoming a fully developed country by 2041.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at Foreign Ministry yesterday, Blake lauded Bangladesh's tremendous development in various sectors.

The High Commissioner said the UK will work with Bangladesh to counter terrorism, improve conditions of trade, and continue to support Bangladesh's readymade garments sector.

Recalling the statement made by British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field after the December 30 parliamentary elections, she said the British government is hopeful that “violence and credible reports of irregularities” will be investigated.

On the question of whether they discussed the issue of sending back BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman since he has been convicted in cases, the British envoy said they talked about an entire range of bilateral issues and it wouldn't be appropriate to go into details.

Blake also praised the government for their work in the fields of women empowerment, poverty reduction, and economic and social development.

The British High Commissioner said British investors are very interested to do business in Bangladesh, particularly in the infrastructure sector.

The foreign minister thanked the UK for extending support during Rohingya crisis, and urged the ambassador to assist in Rohingya repatriation initiatives.

CHINESE AMBASSADOR MEETS FM

Meanwhile in another meeting yesterday, the Chinese envoy to Bangladesh wished to strengthen practical cooperation between two countries and accelerate implementation of projects for common development and prosperity under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Zuo made the remarks while meeting with foreign minister AK Abdul Momen at his office.

Ambassador Zhang also asked for deeper engagement with the foreign minister, to bring China-Bangladesh bilateral relations to a newer height.

He expressed his commitment to work with the government of Bangladesh to implement the decisions reached through consensus between both countries' leaders during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Bangladesh in October 2016.

Abdul Momen emphasised on economic diplomacy and acknowledged China's tremendous contribution in Bangladesh's economic development.

He expressed gratitude to China for signing 27 agreements and MoU -- worth billions of dollars in investment --  during Xi Jinping's visit to Bangladesh when a bilateral relationship was elevated to strategic partnership.

While appreciating Chinese humanitarian assistance for the displaced people of Rakhine state, the minister sought China's strong support to ensure that Myanmar moves in the right direction for resolving the Rohingya crisis.

The Chinese ambassador said China is willing to play a constructive role in refugee repatriation and will maintain close communication with Bangladesh and Myanmar to find a practical solution for the crisis.