Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. File
| Photo Credit: AP
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought Argentina’s cooperation in developing Bangladesh football because the Latin American nation reopened its embassy in Dhaka 45 years after Buenos Aires closed it down, with officers calling the event a manifestation of Soccer diplomacy.
Ms. Hasina instructed visiting Argentinian Foreign Minister Andres Cafiero that Bangladeshis have been massive followers of Latin America’s football whereas Argentina’s Lionel Messi was a family title in the South Asian nation regardless of the 2 international locations’ areas on the other sides of the globe.
“Help develop our football,” a PMO spokesman quoted Ms. Hasina as saying when Mr. Cafiero paid a courtesy name to the premier at her official Ganabhaban residence.
Mr. Cafiero known as on Ms. Hasina a day after the Argentine minister together with Bangladesh’s junior minister for international affairs Shahriar Alam opened his nation’s embassy in Dhaka amidst the presence of a big crowd, principally Argentine followers.
Ms. Hasina instructed Mr. Cafiero that Dhaka was very eager to strengthen communication and ties with Argentina and anticipated that the 2 nations might change the destiny of their peoples by advancing their socio-economic circumstances by way of enhanced cooperation.
She stated Argentina might purchase RMG merchandise, high-quality prescribed drugs, jute and jute items, leather-based, and footwear objects from Bangladesh whereas Buenos Aires might export animal and vegetable fat, oil and oil seeds, fruits, dairy merchandise, and pure honey to the South Asian nation.
Bangladesh is understood for its football craze, with the nation largely divided in taking sides with two Latin American groups Argentina and Brazil, whereas opinion polls prompt the vast majority of Bangladeshis have been Argentine supporters over the last World Cup Football.
The Argentine minister expressed his hope that the financial, commerce, and enterprise collaboration between the 2 international locations could be scaled up with the reopening of the embassy.
PMO officers or the premier’s aides couldn’t affirm which workforce Ms. Hasina supported regardless of her enthusiasm for sports activities, however the normal secretary of her ruling Awami League and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader reportedly supported each Argentina and Brazil.
Argentina first opened its embassy in Dhaka in 1974 but it surely was closed in 1978 by the army junta that dominated the nation at the moment.
“The love that Bangladesh expressed for Argentina [during the World Cup] shows that in these times of uncertainty for the world, the global South has to strengthen its relations,” Mr. Cafiero stated throughout the opening of the embassy at Dhaka’s up-market Banani.
“And, in international forums, countries like ours have to raise their voices because we are generally unheard, that’s why we need to cooperate and act together.”
Mr. Cafiero’s go to was the primary by a South American international minister because the dictatorship closed the Argentine embassy in 1978.
Bangladesh got here into the highlight for a lot of Argentines throughout the World Cup, due to viral social media movies displaying Bangladeshi followers’ large outpouring of help for the workforce.
Several Argentines in return waved Bangladeshi flags throughout their victory celebrations in Buenos Aires.
According to a media commentary, to this point Bangladesh-Argentina relations have been “fans to fans” interactions which now expanded past residents to incorporate “government to government” interactions.
According to Argentina’s Foreign Relations Ministry, bilateral commerce is at the moment round $900 million, principally in Argentine exports to Bangladesh.
“[But] there is still great potential for commercial expansion, considering Argentina is positioned as a strategic and reliable provider of food and energy”, Argentina’s international workplace assertion stated.
