Netherlands Ambassador Meets State Minister Humayun Kabir

Banglapress Desk: Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Joris van Bommel paid a courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir.

The meeting took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday afternoon (October 8).

During the meeting, the ambassador welcomed Humayun Kabir’s recent assumption of office and expressed optimism about further strengthening relations between Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

The state minister praised the Netherlands’ longstanding support for Bangladesh’s development, particularly in its democratic transition, trade and investment, sustainable industrial development, water management and agriculture.

The two sides discussed political and economic developments, a Bangladesh-European Union free trade agreement (FTA), graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, migration cooperation, human resource development, semiconductor technology, education and sports, as well as various regional and multilateral issues.

Humayun Kabir thanked the Netherlands for its continued support for Rohingya refugees and host communities. He also reiterated the importance of ensuring the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

The ambassador reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in water management, agriculture, inland water transport, maritime infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.

He also briefed the state minister on the upcoming visit of Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, the Netherlands’ Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Both sides underscored the importance of maintaining high-level engagement and expanding cooperation in bilateral and multilateral forums.

BP/SP