Bangladesh has requested Mexico to open a resident mission of the South American country in Dhaka or at least establish a visa facilitation services (VFS) centre in the capital to help expand bilateral trade and people-to-people contacts.
Dhaka proposed this at the first-ever foreign office consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Mexico held virtually on Tuesday.
Both sides expressed their firm convictions in finding new avenues to further deepen the existing friendly bilateral relationship.
The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Mexico stood at some $300 million, in favour of the former.
Bangladesh’s exports to Mexico stood at some $290 million with readymade garments taking the lion's share.
Currently, in the absence of a Mexican Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladeshi visa seekers have to travel to New Delhi to provide their biometrics to obtain a Mexican visa.
The situation has further worsened owing to the restrictions and limitations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bangladesh also requested Mexico to exempt visas for diplomatic and official passport holders.
Claudia Franco Hijuelos, director general, Asia-Pacific of Mexican Foreign Ministry, who led the Mexican delegation at the virtual meeting, took note of the concerns of Bangladesh and said that Mexico is continuously evaluating the need for opening new consular offices in different parts of the world.
Toufiq Islam Shatil, director general (Americas) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka led the Bangladesh delegation while Hijuelos led the Mexican delegation.
As members of delegations of their respective countries, Bangladesh Ambassador to Mexico, Abida Islam and Federico Salas Lotfe, Ambassador of Mexico to India, concurring to Bangladesh, actively participated during the discussions.
The entire gamut of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Mexico were discussed during the meeting focusing on economy and trade, exchanges between foreign service academies, bilateral cooperation in cultural, gender equality, defense and tourism including visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders.
The leader of the Bangladesh delegation emphasized the need to carry forward the momentum that was created during the visit of State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam in September 2021 while attending the 200-year celebration of Mexican Independence.
Trade ties
In the area of trade and investment, Bangladesh highlighted the impressive investment possibilities and benefits provided by the government to the foreign investors.
In response, the Mexican side showed its keen interest in the sector of construction and auto parts industries in Bangladesh.
Terming economic affairs as a key aspect and one of the priorities in foreign policy, both sides agreed on creating a Joint Working Group between the governments to explore the potential untapped areas and take advantage of their respective economic opportunities.
Referring to the recently concluded MOU between COMCE and the FBCCI in September 2021, both sides stressed their frequent engagements even in virtual platforms in the coming days.
During the consultations, the two sides also discussed possible cooperation in mutually beneficial areas at regional and multilateral level including the United Nations.
However, the Director General (Consular Affairs), who was also present at the meeting, laid emphasis on finding ways to bring both the countries closer in terms of people-to-people contacts.
Regarding the exemption of visas for diplomatic and official passport holders, Ambassador Claudia Franco said that the office concerned is reviewing the draft to find out the likelihood of this agreement.
The Bangladesh side received a positive response from its Mexican counterparts regarding its proposal to enhance military cooperation and sharing its vast experience in the tourism sector.
The 2nd FOC is expected to take place during the second half of 2022 preferably in person if the conditions permit, either in Mexico City or Dhaka, at a mutually convenient date and time.