ZCZC
BSS-22
BANGLADESH-IRISH-CREDENTIALS
Bangladesh UK HC presents credentials to Irish President
DHAKA, Nov 21, 2019 (BSS) – Bangladesh High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Saida Muna Tasneem has presented her letter of credence to Irish President Michael Daniel Higgins as a non-resident Bangladesh ambassador to Ireland.
The credentials ceremony was held at the President’s residence called Aras an Uachtar in Dublin on Wednesday, according to a press release, issued by the UK’s Bangladesh mission, received here today.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Tasneem conveyed the warm greetings of Bangladesh’s President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Irish President and reaffirmed her commitment for further developing the excellent bilateral relations that have been existing since Bangladesh’s recognition by Ireland in early 1972.
Recalling the moral support of the people of Ireland during Bangladesh’s War of Liberation in 1971, the Bangladesh ambassador hoped that the two countries would jointly celebrate the 50th year of diplomatic relations in 2022.
She conveyed the Irish President that Bangladesh will celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from March 2020 to 2021 and looked forward celebrating the birth centenary with the government of Ireland in 2020-2021.
The ambassador gave President Higgins a brief account of Bangladesh’s unprecedented development in different sectors, including GDP growth, education, healthcare and women empowerment during the decade-long leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
She thanked the Irish government and the people for providing all-out support to the flourishing Bangladeshi-Irish Diaspora living in Ireland and underlined the need for expediting the visa and work permit services to Bangladeshi skilled migrants recruited by different Irish IT sector’s multinational companies.
The ambassador noted that Ireland is currently the European hub for IT sector’s multinational companies (MNCs) and underlined the need for taking a fresh look by Irish companies at Bangladesh’s software outsourcing capabilities, including its 600,000 freelance IT professionals.
The envoy also emphasized the need for further enhancing and diversifying of Bangladesh-Irish bilateral trade, including in the readymade garment (RMG) sector.
She invited the Irish government to open an Embassy in Dhaka and organise regular high-level bilateral visits that would take Bangladesh-Ireland relations to a new height.
President Higgins welcomed the Bangladesh Ambassador and conveyed his profound admiration of humanitarian gesture of Sheikh Hasina in sheltering 1.1 million Rohingyas.
The President expressed his interest in Bangladesh’s efforts in combating the risks from climate changes and realizing the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He also appreciated the fact that the birthday of Bangabandhu and St. Patrick’s Day fall on the same day of 17th March and look forward to celebrating Bangabandhu’s birth centenary in Ireland.
Earlier on her arrival at the President’s residence, the Bangladesh Ambassador was accorded a Guard of Honour, witnessed by the Irish President along with his spouse, Irish Minister for the Diaspora and International Development Ciaran Cannon and high officials of Ireland’s foreign ministry.
Besides, the ambassador attended a reception hosted in her honour by the Bangladesh-Irish community and exchanged views with them on different issues.
The community leaders praised the regular and improved consular and visa services in Ireland provided by the Bangladesh High Commission in London.
BSS/PR/TA/MMA/1554hrs