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AUSTRALIA-FM
Australian FM due Tuesday
Dhaka, Sept 2, 2019 (BSS) – Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise
Payne will arrive here tomorrow on a three-day official visit to attend
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Blue Economy ministerial meeting as well
as to meet Bangladesh high-ups to address the Rohingya issue.
During the visit, Payne will travel to Cox’s Bazar where Australia has been
a leading donor in providing humanitarian assistance for forcefully displaced
Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh, a press release issued by
Australian High Commission here said today.
The Australian foreign minister’s discussions with Bangladesh Government
leaders will focus on countering violent extremism, growing trade and
investment links, promoting the Australian education sector and addressing
the Rohingya crisis, it added.
At the IORA Blue Economy Ministerial Conference, Payne who is also
minister for women will highlight strategies for creating environmentally
sustainable marine-based industries including fishing, aquaculture, tourism,
shipping, oil and gas.
As an island continent, Australia recognises the importance of ocean health
for economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, said the release.
Payne will announce establishment of the IORA Blue Carbon Hub, an
Australian initiative located at the University of Western Australia in
Perth, to promote the health of blue carbon ecosystems– mangroves, tidal
marshes and seagrasses– to endorse coastal protection, food security and
sustainable livelihoods.
This will be the first visit to Bangladesh by an Australian Foreign
Minister since 1988 and first by a Cabinet Minister since 2006.
BSS/PR/TA/SSS/1923 hrs