Foreign Minister expects Australia cricket team’s visit to Bangladesh ‘soon’

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali has expressed the hope that the Australian cricket team, which postponed its visit to Bangladesh on security grounds last year will come to the country “soon”.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 August 2016, 01:49 PM
Updated : 23 August 2016, 01:49 PM

He also hoped that cooperation in the field of sports between the two countries would continue. He made his remarks at his meeting with the newly appointed Australian High Commissioner, Julia Niblett, when she called on him on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said.

A senior career officer with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Niblett presented her credentials to President Abdul Hamid on Aug 10.

She has previously held the positions of Assistant Secretary in South-East Asia Maritime Bilateral Branch; Mekong, Philippines and Myanmar Development Branch; and Asia Strategies and Partnerships Branch in the former AusAID.

She was also posted in Bangkok, Paris and Manila with the Immigration Department, according to the Australian foreign ministry.

The foreign minister, while welcoming Niblett to Bangladesh, expressed the hope that the avenues of cooperation which had opened up between Dhaka and Canberra in recent times would be further strengthened and widened in the days ahead.

 The Australian cricketers, who were scheduled to tour Bangladesh in September last year, called off the trip 48 hours before the squad was due to fly in “due to concerns about the safety and security of the Australian Test team”.

The foreign minister has given the new envoy a briefing on the security measures taken by the government, particularly after the July 1 terrorist attack.

He also referred to the “invaluable” contributions of the Australian people and its government during Bangladesh’s War of Liberation in 1971 and hoped that relations between the two nations would be brought “back to the same level” that was experienced during the 1971-1975 period.

Ali also recalled that Australia was the first OECD country to have recognised Bangladesh on Jan 31, 1972.

He also highlighted the contributions made by the Bangladeshi diaspora in the development of both Australia and Bangladesh.

 He requested the envoy to explore the possibilities of producing “qualified professionals” who could work in the industrial and service sectors of both the countries.

 In her response, the Australian High Commissioner noted that relations between the two countries and people had been “very strong and close” since 1971.

She apprised the minister about the ongoing and upcoming projects which, once completed, would “elevate the cooperation to a newer height.”

She particularly noted her government's interest in providing vocational training to the people of Bangladesh and assisting in creating a pool of certified technical support personnel for global markets.

She met Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque prior to her meeting with the minister.