The European Union ambassador and head of delegation to Bangladesh, Charles Whitely, on Saturday said the delegation was currently trying to develop political engagement with Bangladesh.
In a Meet the Ambassador, Charles Whitely also said the EU also interested in partnering with Bangladesh in terms of security cooperation, maritime issues, energy, and climate change.
The Meet the Ambassador was hosted in a city hotel by the Centre for Governance Studies in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert- Stiftung in Bangladesh, according to a press release by the CGS.
Charles Whitely was the key speaker and discussed various bilateral, regional and international issues.
Regarding relations with Bangladesh, he stated the EU’s interest in expanding its footprint in the Asian region through its Indo-Pacific Strategy, in which Bangladesh is a key partner.
The ambassador hoped Bangladesh-EU relations would grow significantly in the next 10 years.
The EU considered Bangladesh pivotal in providing stability in the South Asia, the delegation head said.
The CGS chairman and the chairman of the National River Protection Commission, Manjur A Chowdhury, and FES programme coordinator Shadhan Kumar Das, among others, spoke in the programme moderated by the CGS executive director, Zillur Rahman.
The ambassador noted that as Bangladesh is about to graduate from the Least Developed Country category, there would be a change to the current ‘Everything But Arms’ preferential trade agreement with the EU.
He said Bangladesh would gradually shift to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus trade programme, which gives developing countries a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance.
The ambassador said that he was working to increase European investment in Bangladesh.
About Rohingya repatriation, he stated that it needs to happen as soon as possible.
The ambassador said that the EU was hoping for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, and the current sanctions the EU has imposed on Russia were in no way hampering the international food trade.
He said that EU also considered China a strategic partner in Asia but it would strictly oppose China if the East Asian country hampers freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Asked about the EU cooperation in establishing human rights, good governance, and the rule of law in Bangladesh, the ambassador replied that the EU joint commission has a broad platform for engagement with Bangladesh, including human rights issues.
Regardless of whoever is in power, the EU would continue to fund projects in Bangladesh, such as those empower women.
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