Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Seeks Argentina’s Help in Developing Football

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought Argentina’s cooperation in growing Bangladesh soccer 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.

Hasina informed visiting Argentinian Foreign Minister Andres Cafiero that Bangladeshis had been large followers of Latin America’s soccer whereas Argentina’s Lionel Messi was a family title in the South Asian nation regardless of the 2 nations’ areas on the alternative sides of the globe.

“Help develop our soccer,” a PMO spokesman quoted Hasina as saying when Cafiero paid a courtesy call to the premier at her official Ganabhaban residence.

Cafiero called on Hasina a day after the Argentine minister along with Bangladesh’s junior minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam opened his country’s embassy in Dhaka amidst the presence of a large crowd, mostly Argentine fans.

Hasina told Cafiero that Dhaka was very keen to strengthen communication and ties with Argentina and expected that the two nations could change the fate of their peoples by advancing their socio-economic conditions through enhanced cooperation.

She said Argentina could buy RMG products, high-quality pharmaceuticals, jute and jute goods, leather, and footwear items from Bangladesh while Buenos Aires could export animal and vegetable fats, oil and oil seeds, fruits, dairy products, and natural honey to the South Asian country.

Bangladesh is known for its football craze, with the nation largely divided in taking sides with two Latin American teams Argentina and Brazil, while opinion polls suggested the majority of Bangladeshis were Argentine supporters during the last World Cup Football.

The Argentine minister expressed his hope that the economic, trade, and business collaboration between the two countries would be scaled up with the reopening of the embassy.

PMO officials or the premier’s aides could not confirm which team Hasina supported despite her enthusiasm for sports, but the general secretary of her ruling Awami League and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader reportedly supported both Argentina and Brazil.

Argentina first opened its embassy in Dhaka in 1974 but it was closed in 1978 by the military junta that ruled the country at that time.

“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,” Cafiero mentioned throughout the opening of the embassy at Dhaka’s up-market Banani.

“And, in worldwide boards, nations like ours have to lift their voices as a result of we’re typically unheard, that’s why we have to cooperate and act collectively.”

Cafiero’s visit was the first by a South American foreign minister since the dictatorship closed the Argentine embassy in 1978.

Bangladesh came into the spotlight for many Argentines during the World Cup, thanks to viral social media videos showing Bangladeshi fans’ massive outpouring of support for the team.

Several Argentines in return waved Bangladeshi flags during their victory celebrations in Buenos Aires.

According to a media commentary, so far Bangladesh-Argentina relations were “fans to fans” interactions which now expanded past residents to incorporate “authorities to authorities” interactions.

According to Argentina’s Foreign Relations Ministry, bilateral trade is currently around USD 900 million, mostly 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 overseas workplace assertion mentioned.

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