Sarah Cooke, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, reaffirmed today the UK’s commitment to support Bangladesh’s democratic transition and improve bilateral ties.
According to a news release from the foreign ministry, she made the commitment during her initial visit to Foreign Secretary Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin’s office today.
In particular, commerce and trade, repatriation of syphoned assets, maritime security, climate change, migration and mobility, and the Rohingya crisis were the main topics of discussion during the summit.
The British Government’s assistance to the interim government for its “reform initiatives for a smooth democratic transition towards discrimination free and prosperous Bangladesh” was appreciated by the foreign secretary.
Additionally, he conveyed his appreciation with the strong bilateral ties between the two nations, which are based on shared values, diaspora, and Commonwealth heritage.
The envoy praised Dhaka’s leadership in tackling regional and global issues and reaffirmed UK support for Bangladesh’s development priorities, citing the people-to-people relationship as well as the political and economic links between Bangladesh and the UK.
The Bangladeshi diaspora and students in the UK are important to Bangladesh-UK relations, the foreign secretary emphasised.
He urged the High Commissioner to work on increasing UK government scholarships for Bangladeshi students and to speed up visa processing for those awaiting admission to prestigious UK universities. The British high commissioner assured to look into the matter.
