President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called on the United Kingdom to deepen cooperation in education, human resource development and technology, and to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment.
The appeal came during a courtesy meeting with British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke at Bangabhaban on Monday according to a press release from the President's office. Cooke delivered a congratulatory letter from King Charles III on Alamgir's assumption of the presidency for which he expressed gratitude and asked her to convey his greetings to the King.
The President sought expanded opportunities for Bangladeshi students in UK higher education, more Commonwealth scholarships and support in building the capacity of education and technology institutions. He praised expatriate Bangladeshis in Britain for strengthening ties between the two countries and noted continued cooperation within the Commonwealth.
Alamgir said Bangladesh had returned to democracy through a free and fair election and stressed the need to strengthen democratic institutions and elected representatives. Citing the UK's parliamentary system, he called for regular exchanges between lawmakers of both countries.
Cooke informed the President that nearly 99.99 percent of Bangladeshi products, including garments will retain duty-free access to the UK market for three more years following the country's LDC graduation. Alamgir called this a key opportunity to expand trade ties.
The High Commissioner also briefed him on a digital climate data-sharing initiative which the President said would improve weather forecasting and boost agricultural output through better information exchange.
Senior officials from the President's office, the Foreign Ministry and the British High Commission attended the meeting.
