Dhaka, Jul 07 (V7N) — The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh in further strengthening democracy while expressing interest in expanding bilateral cooperation in education, investment, climate change, migration, women's empowerment and local government.
The issues were discussed during a courtesy meeting between British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the British High Commissioner said the UK is willing to provide the necessary assistance to help strengthen Bangladesh's democratic institutions. She also expressed optimism that the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two countries would continue to deepen.
Sarah Cooke praised Bangladesh's recent progress in democracy, women's empowerment and the education sector. She also said initiatives would be taken to further expand opportunities for Bangladeshi students to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the Ministry of Local Government and the Election Commission are working to begin Union Parishad elections in phases by December this year.
He said Bangladesh has always regarded the United Kingdom as a close friend and reaffirmed his party's commitment to multi-party democracy and democratic values.
The minister also expressed hope that democracy in Bangladesh would continue to be strengthened under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He invited British investors to increase investment in Bangladesh to support the country's economic development.
Later the same day, a delegation led by Sudhir Muralidharan, Country Manager for Bangladesh and Bhutan of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), also paid a courtesy call on the minister.
The meeting focused on infrastructure development, project implementation, waste management and improvements to drainage systems. The UNOPS delegation reaffirmed its commitment to continuing cooperation in Bangladesh's sustainable development initiatives in the years ahead.
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