Today, Sarah Cooke, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, pledged to inform her headquarters of Bangladesh’s candidate’s qualifications and promised that the UK would give Dhaka’s bid for the presidency of the UN General Assembly proper consideration.
According to a news release from the ministry, the assurance was made when Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman received a courtesy call from the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
The foreign minister expressed gratitude to the UK for sending Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra to the new government’s oath-taking ceremony.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the deep historical ties, strong people-to-people connections and the vibrant Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom, which continues to act as a vital bridge between the two nations.
The two leaders discussed exploring new avenues of collaboration, particularly in education, migration, security cooperation, Rohingya repatriation and strengthening broader bilateral engagement.
In order to expedite the Rohingyas’ return to Myanmar, the Foreign Minister asked the UK to maintain its leadership position in the UN Security Council and other international fora.
Additionally, he asked London to back Bangladesh’s bid to lead the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in 2026–2027.
The High Commissioner promised that the Bangladeshi candidate’s qualifications would be sent to the UK headquarters and that the candidature would be given careful attention.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cooke said, “I’ve just come from a very good meeting with the honorable foreign minister. I congratulated the honorable minister on taking up his new role here in the ministry of foreign affairs.”
“We had a very good discussion where we reaffirmed the strength and depth of the uh UK Bangladesh partnership,” she added.
She said the discussions covered a broad range of shared priorities.
“We discussed strengthening cooperation across a whole range of different areas in support of our shared priorities including economic growth, migration, security, climate change, change and also the Rohingya,” she said.
Referring to the longstanding ties, Cooke added, “As you know, the UK has a very long-standing partnership with Bangladesh and we very much look forward to continuing to work closely together in this new chapter for the country”.
Earlier in the day, the High Commissioner also called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam and discussed enhancing cooperation in skills development, migration, healthcare, education, trade and investment.
Both sides expressed optimism about the future trajectory of Bangladesh–United Kingdom relations and reaffirmed their commitment to closer collaboration on bilateral, regional and global issues of shared interest.
