Bangladesh, Britain must work together to fight extremist violence, says Stewart

A British minister has commended Bangladesh’s development successes and said the country is not alone in facing the scourge of extremist violence.

“We must work together to combat extremism and terrorism, promoting tolerance and inclusion, and stability,” Rory Stewart, State Minister for International Development said in a statement before leaving Dhaka on Tuesday.

During his three-day stay, he visited UK-supported projects in Dhaka including a primary school and a garment factory to see first-hand how UK aid is making a difference to the people’s lives.

He also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

The British government supports Bangladesh’s development efforts particularly in poverty reduction, education, and health sector.

The British High Commission said they spent £185 million in supporting those projects last year.

“Bangladesh is one of the great development success stories in Asia. I’m very proud of the support the UK has given this country and I congratulate Bangladesh in particular for the fantastic improvements made in health and education,” Stewart said.

“For many people I have spoken to over the last three days, security has been at the top of their agenda. Bangladesh is not alone in having to face the scourge of extremist violence.

“We must work together to combat extremism and terrorism, promoting tolerance and inclusion, and stability. Our development programmes are addressing some of the root causes, such as poverty and economic marginalisation,” he said.

“At my meetings with Government Ministers and leaders from the Business and Development community, we also discussed our mutual ambition for increasing trade and economic links between our two countries.

“Britain remains the same outward looking, globally minded country it always has been and I look forward to working with the people of Bangladesh on this shared agenda in the coming years,” the state minister added.