DHAKA: Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, MP, met with First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in The Hague.
External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on Friday regarding the bilateral meeting Thursday afternoon (Netherlands Time).
Recalling the excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the former Yugoslavia, Bangladesh minister said, “Those historic ties need to be revived to forge mutually beneficial relations between Bangladesh and Serbia, with particular focus on economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts.”
The release also said Mahmood Ali also recalled the formative role played by Yugoslavia in securing international recognition for the independent Bangladesh during and after 1971.
The two Foreign Ministers reminisced about the close personal rapport between the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the former Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, it said.
The Ministers also agreed to resume exchange of high-level visits to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Ali invited his Serbian counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. The Serbian Foreign Minister accepted the invitation.
The Serbian Minister suggested considering enhanced cooperation in the education sector, and possible visa waiver arrangements between the two countries.
The two Ministers further discussed the ongoing efforts to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo under a European Union sponsored initiative.
The Bangladesh Foreign Minister also had a meeting with Ahmet Üzümcü, Director General of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the latter’s office in the Hague.
Among other exhibits, the Foreign Minister visited the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to OPCW in 2013.
The OPCW Director General briefed the Foreign Minister about the background of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the current status with the universalization of the instrument.
Foreign Minister Ali appreciated the capacity building support provided by OPCW to Bangladesh and invited the Director General to visit Dhaka during the Asian Chemical Congress to be held later this year.
Later, the Minister met with Ms. Mirreille Ballestrazzi, President of INTERPOL on the sidelines of GCCS.
They discussed possible capacity building support by INTERPOL for Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies to combat cyber crimes, including through the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, located in Singapore.
The INTERPOL President also assured of continuing with need-based training support for Bangladesh Police.
BDST: 1130 HRS, APR 17, 2015
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