British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed an interest in holding her first official meeting with her Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina.
Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Simon McDonald confirmed the intention to reporters after signing a MoU on Tuesday with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.
Sir Simon said: “We are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations with our first strategic dialogue which I am very happy to conduct with my honourable opposite number.”
The British diplomat and his Bangladeshi counterpart held their first ever strategic dialogue at the Padma State Guest House in Dhaka with a view to strengthening bilateral relations and taking them to the next level.
Their meeting involved a "productive exchange" on political and bilateral issues and common areas of cooperation including the economy and development, and security and defence.
The MoU confirms the UK and Bangladesh’s intention to hold an annual Strategic Dialogue alternately in Dhaka and London, with the next to be held in London in the first half of 2018.
Shahidul Haque said: “This platform would offer us an opportunity to regularly exchange views on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest and shape the future of our bilateral cooperation.”
Acknowledging the importance of historic relations with Bangladesh, Sir Simon said the UK wants a better relationship with Bangladesh as it prepares for life outside of the EU.
When asked about global terrorism, he said: “This is a priority issue for both governments. We work closely.”
They also discussed preparations for the Commonwealth Summit to be held next year.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
