As its High Commissioner Sarah Cooke paid a goodwill visit to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Ganabhaban residence today, the United Kingdom (UK) demonstrated interest in enhancing bilateral trade and investment with Bangladesh.
“The UK will continue its cooperation in Bangladesh’s efforts for its overall development particularly in women education,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted Cooke as saying in a media briefing after the meeting.
According to Karim, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina put stress on Rohingya repatriation at the meeting, saying, it would be better for Bangladesh as early as the Rohingya repatriation will take place.
“International community’s due attention to the Rohingya issue will expedite the repatriation of the Myanmar nationals,” she hoped.
The premier voiced concern that the Rohingyas’ protracted stay might worsen the region of Coxsbazar’s social difficulties.
The Rohingya repatriation will be accelerated, according to the UK representative, provided the problem is kept in the public eye on a global scale.
She concentrated on giving the Rohingyas education and training in skill development so they could find employment when they returned to their own Myanmar.
The meeting also covered a range of topics, including regional concerns, climate change, security, and bilateral relations.
The group expressed pleasure with Bangladesh and the UK’s current bilateral relations and aimed to further solidify them.
The UK representative stated that they want elections in Bangladesh to be free, fair, and peaceful.
The prime minister claimed that it took her 21 years of effort to restore democracy in the nation.
She said there had been 19 attempts on her life, with the worst occurring on August 21, 2004, when 24 people—including Ivy Rahman, the chairman of the Awami League—died and more than 500 others were hurt.
Sheikh Hasina continued that the BNP-Jamaat celebrated their victory in 2001 through unleashing a reign of terror killing hundreds of people as well as raping and looting in the villages across the country.
“It is we who established freedom of expression and opened the media to the private sector,” she said.
The premier said the UK and Bangladesh inked a climate agreement in March of this year to intensify climate action on a bilateral and international level. He expressed pleasure with the collaboration between the two countries on the issue of climate change.
Among those present were Principal Secretary Md. Tofazzel Hossain Miah and PM’s Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin.
