Md. Touhid Hossain, the foreign affairs adviser, encouraged Austria today to look into other options for granting visas to students from Bangladesh and to think about setting up a resident mission in Dhaka.
He brought up the subject, pointing out that the lack of an Austrian resident mission in Bangladesh has made it difficult for Bangladeshi students who want to study in Austria to obtain visas.
According to a ministry press statement, Katharina Weiser, the Austrian ambassador to Bangladesh who is not a resident, met with the foreign ministry’s foreign affairs adviser today to discuss the issue.
Ambassador Weiser responded by acknowledging the worries and promising that Austria will investigate a feasible solution in accordance with Vienna’s instructions.
During the meeting, the foreign adviser elaborated on the Interim Government’s ongoing efforts to reform Bangladesh’s socio-political and economic structures to establish a resilient democratic framework.
He emphasized that these initiatives require a reasonable timeframe for successful implementation.
Touhid added that the reform commissions’ reports are anticipated to be made public in January 2025.
Additionally, the foreign adviser highlighted Bangladesh’s preparations for LDC graduation and efforts to qualify for the EU GSP+ preferential trade scheme.
The both sides discussed the development of clean energy technologies and climate change adaptation measures.
“The developed countries must fulfill their commitments to provide necessary funds for adaptation and mitigation, alongside their pledges,” Touhid said.
Ambassador Weiser agreed, emphasizing that the economic viability of green and climate-friendly technologies is essential for achieving sustainable solutions.
The Austrian envoy reiterated Austria’s commitment to exploring expanded bilateral economic engagements with Bangladesh in future.
