Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman has stressed exploring new horizons for enhancing Bangladesh-Canada relations in multifarious aspects during his visit to Ottawa.
Ajit Singh, Director of the Privy Council Office of Canada, and High Commissioner-designate of Canada to Bangladesh, received him upon his arrival in Ottawa on Wednesday from the US.
Both the Bangladesh army chief and the high commissioner-designate were forthcoming about addressing visa-related issues for all Bangladeshi citizens, the Bangladesh High Commission said.
The army chief met with Lieutenant General Stephen R Kelsey, vice-chief of the defence staff of Canada, and Salma Zahid MP, vice-chair of the Canada-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship Group and member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, in Ottawa.
Salma Zahid met with General Waker-Uz-Zaman on Wednesday morning and discussed areas of mutual interest.
In particular, General Waker highlighted the importance of facilitating and expediting student visas for Bangladeshi students as well as visas for both serving and former military officials.
He highlighted the interim government’s priority of youth development and sought Canada's assistance in this regard by facilitating more student visas citing the mutual benefits for both the countries.
Zahid acknowledged the challenges in this regard due to Canada’s existing housing shortage.
She encouraged Bangladeshi students to apply to designated institutions in Canada for expeditious visa processing and reaffirmed her commitment to finding solutions to address the current limitations on foreign student admissions.
The exploration of collaboration in educational exchange programs and the potential signing of an MoU between Canadian and Bangladeshi universities were also discussed.
In addition, they discussed opportunities for cooperation in agriculture and infrastructure development.
General Waker proposed collaboration to address Canada’s housing crisis.
In addition, the army chief mentioned Bangladesh’s readiness to assist Canada in its healthcare sector, including through providing caregivers to Canada.
In a separate meeting with Lieutenant General Kelsey, General Waker advocated streamlining visa processing for both serving and retired Bangladeshi military personnel.
He emphasized the need for a systematic approach to visa issuance and proposed addressing individual cases if there are queries through bilateral consultations without generalizing or stereotyping.
The discussions also paved the way for enhanced defence cooperation, particularly in expanding training exchanges between military institutions.
The army chief emphasized increasing collaboration through officer exchanges at the National Defence College and staff colleges, aimed at strengthening the professional development of military personnel from both nations.
Nahida Sobhan, high commissioner for Bangladesh to Canada, participated in both meetings along with Brigadier General SM Asadul Haque and Major Md Shoaib Rifat Aumy.
