Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has called upon Serbia to explore the possibility of engaging the Bangladeshi workforce in the county’s development work.
Bangladesh foreign minister made the call in a meeting with Dr Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Serbian minister of labour, employment, veteran and social affairs.
The foreign minister also held meetings with Nikola Selaković, minister of foreign affairs; and Tatjana Matic, minister for trade, tourism and telecommunication of Serbia on the sidelines of the 60th Commemorative events of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Belgrade.
During the meeting with Tepavcevic on October 13, Bangladesh foreign minister informed the Serbian minister about the hardworking workforce of Bangladesh who is contributing to the infrastructure development of many countries including in the Middle East.
He proposed that Serbia can be benefitted from the expertise of Bangladeshi workforce especially in infrastructure development, health and tourism sectors.
The Serbian minister welcomed the idea and agreed to work closely towards the conclusion of a cooperation agreement in the field of labour and employment.
The meeting also featured a 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.
During a meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s non-aligned foreign policy envisioned by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The minister recalled with gratitude of former Yugoslavia’s recognition of Bangladesh immediately after independence —one of the first European countries to do so.
The whole gamut of trade, investment and labour issues were discussed during the meeting.
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 Bangladesh’s massive vaccination programme, which was highly lauded by the Serbian side.
On the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Momen emphasized 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 the early signing of the two MoUs on visa waiver in respect of diplomatic and official passports and defence cooperation.
Both sides also discussed the possibility of hosting joint celebratory events to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister sought the support of Serbia for the early repatriation of the Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland in Myanmar.
Earlier on October 11, Momen held a meeting with Tatjana Matic, Serbian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication.
Terming Bangladesh “as a land of opportunities”, Momen highlighted the huge potentials 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.
