Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to hold an “envoy conference” in Paris to strengthen its relationship with mainland European countries.
“We have already been instructed to come to Paris to attend the conference,” said a Bangladeshi ambassador posted in a European country.
14 Bangladeshi mission chiefs posted in European countries will take part in the conference.
Hasina is traveling to France on November 15 to hold a bilateral meeting with French President François Hollande and attend the Unesco General Conference.
The prime minister also had a bilateral visit to the Netherlands last week.
The ambassador said the trade relationship between Bangladesh and European countries are growing.
“Now we have TPP [Trans Pacific Partnership] where Bangladesh is not a member and we need look for an alternative to secure our interest,” he said.
“We expect to have a clear message from the prime minister about our future course of action,” he added.
Another Bangladesh envoy posted in Europe said Bangladesh and European countries are engaged in soft areas like development cooperation, human rights, rule of law and cultural cooperation.
“We receive development cooperation from a number of European countries, which are used in education, health, skill development and other areas,” he said.
It is very important for the development process of Bangladesh, he added.
About human rights and rule of law, he said: “Our engagement with Europe in those areas is more robust than any other country.”
European countries are more considerate about internal dynamics of the country and it is visible in the European Union parliament resolution, he said.
When asked about complex bilateral relationship with few European countries, a senior official of the Foreign Ministry said: “Europe is a big continent. If one or two countries do not feel comfortable engaging with Bangladesh, it’s okay with us. We know where the alternatives are.”
Europe is Bangladesh’s biggest trading partner with about $15 billion trade and received over $1 billion development assistance from the countries.
The European countries also invested heavily in energy, telecom and other sectors.
A good number of diaspora are also living in the European countries contributing to the country’s economy.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Friday had a series of meetings with important foreign ministers of the European countries including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, German foreign minister, Belgian foreign minister, Luxembourg foreign minister, Dutch foreign minister and Swedish foreign minister.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque had foreign office consultations with the Netherlands and Spain, and going to have FoCs with Germany and Sweden in the coming months.