Bangladesh backs Lanka on Human Rights

Basil expresses gratitude to visiting Foreign Secretary :

Bangladesh is keen on strengthening ties with Sri Lanka on shipping, tourism promotion, investment, educational activities and drug manufacturing, visiting Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa meets Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque

The Foreign Secretary said this when he met Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the ministry office on Tuesday.

The Bangladeshi official is in Sri Lanka to take part in the Second Foreign Secretary Level Consultations.

The discussions are expected to review the entire range of Sri Lanka’s relations with Bangladesh with focus on exploring new avenues of cooperation and expanding existing economic relations. Haque observed that Bangladeshi ships calling at Colombo and Trincomalee would help facilitate imports and exports, promote tourism and encourage investments.

He was confident that Sri Lanka’s success in rural development would attract Bangladeshi investors.

Minister Rajapaksa requested the Foreign Secretary to ensure that such investments also be made in the area of drug manufacture. During the past five years Sri Lankans invested around US dollars 200 million in Bangladesh.

A large number of Sri Lankan medical students are studying there while nearly 15,000 Sri Lankans are employed in that country. Haque also assured that Bangladesh would back Sri Lanka on the Human Rights issue.

Minister Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude to Bangladesh for supporting Sri Lanka in international fora in times of difficulty.

Bangladesh is the Chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) and Human Rights groups. Others in the Bangladeshi delegation included Bangladesh High Commissioner in Colombo Mohammad Sufiur Raaman, a Joint Secretary of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Shipping Nasir Arif Mahmud and Director (South Asia) of the Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tareq Ariful Islam.