Spain's Andalusian businessmen want commercial ties with Bangladesh
The businessmen of Andalucia province, the glorious traditional region of Islamic civilisation in Spain, have shown their interest to build commercial relations with Bangladesh in various sectors including the rapidly growing IT sector.
For this purpose, the Bangladesh Embassy will take the initiative to arrange a formal meeting and seminars between the businessmen of the two countries.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Spain, Mohammad Sarwar Mahmud, came up with the views during a series of meetings with commercial organisations and institutions of different cities of the Andalucia province.
Last week, the ambassador visited Seville, the capital city of Andalusia, the historic city of Granada, trans-European commercial hub Malaga and the tourist destination Marbella.
During the 4-day visit, he held several meetings on the expansion of bilateral commercial, cultural, public diplomacy and educational cooperation as well as facilitation of consular and welfare activities for Bangladeshi expatriates.
In the meeting with the President of the Seville Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services Francisco León and other officials, the ambassador briefed the Chamber about the rapidly growing developments achieved in Bangladesh and called upon the Andalusian business community to take advantage of the vast business and investment opportunities in Bangladesh, particularly in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs), Specialised Economic Zones (SEZs) and High-Tech Parks.
The embassy, in partnership with the Seville Chamber, will undertake elaborate programmes expanding bilateral commercial cooperation to enhance bilateral trade and investment in some fast-growing sectors.
Later, the ambassador held meetings with the General Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Regional Government of Andalusia and influential politician Enrique Rocher, the Director General of Andalusia Global Francisco Navarro and other officials of the Ministry of Presidency, Public Administration and Home Affairs of Andalusia. The two sides reiterated their pledge to work closely to consolidate bilateral relations.
The ambassador held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Granada Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services Isabel Contreras and the Director for External Affairs Luis Nebot. The ambassador presented a detailed visual account of the untapped business and investment potentials and the lucrative incentives for foreign investments in various thematic sectors in Bangladesh.
The two sides agreed to soon undertake joint initiatives in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to connect and engage the thriving service sectors of Granada and Bangladesh, particularly the ICT professionals and freelancers.
The ambassador held a meeting with Professor Francisco Oliva Blazquez, the vice chancellor of the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville.
During the meeting, the ambassador gave a visual presentation entitled "Bangabandhu's Bangladesh in Seville" on the political legacy of the Father of the Nation, the birth of Bangladesh, and the ongoing development projects and sensitised the university on the gravity of the Rohingya issue. Vice Chancellor Blazquez proposed to ink a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh to facilitate academic exchange programmes.
The ambassador held a meeting with Francisco de la Torre, the mayor of the tourist city and international trade hub Malaga. They discussed the enhancement of bilateral political, economic and cultural relations.
On the same day, the ambassador also held a meeting with Felix Romero Moreno, the deputy mayor of Marbella, another city that excelled in tourism. The two sides converged on the need to share experiences on state-of-the-art tourism promotion activities and best practices.
The ambassador held a meeting with Jose Ignacio Bidon proprietor of the Bidon Abogados, a reputed law firm specialised in providing legal counsel on commercial, labour, and immigration issues. The Bidon Abogados offered to provide legal assistance to expatriate Bangladeshis for free or at a nominal cost.
The ambassador also held a diaspora engagement meeting with the expatriate Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in Seville.
Counsellor (Commercial) Redwan Ahmed and Counsellor (Political) Imadul Hoque of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Madrid accompanied the ambassador during these meetings.
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