Visit Luxembourg: Honorary Consul Nasreen Zamir to Bangladeshis

The honorary consul of Luxembourg in Dhaka has urged Bangladeshis travelling to Europe to keep Luxembourg as a destination on the eve of its national day.

Nurul Islam Hasibbdnews24.com
Published : 22 June 2017, 06:26 PM
Updated : 23 June 2017, 05:30 AM

The two countries despite decades-old diplomatic relations gave a fresh look to the relations only last year when Luxembourg appointed a leading Bangladeshi designer Nasreen Zamir as its Honorary Consul in Dhaka.

The National Day of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in on June 23.

“On this special occasion, I would like to encourage Bangladeshis who travel to Europe to include Luxembourg among the countries they are going to visit,” Nasreen told bdnews24.com.

“They will discover or rediscover a vibrant socio-economic scene that offers infinite opportunities for study, business and so many other purposes.”

The western European country is known as Europe’s most powerful investment management centre.

It is one of the first European countries that recognised independent Bangladesh in early 1972. But there is no active engagement between the countries since there is no mission in each other’s capital.

The new honorary consul, after taking oath in Dhaka in June last year, told bdnews24.com that she was looking forward to giving a new beginning to the relations.

Ambassador Sam Schreiner, who is based in India, also told bdnews24.com last year that they want to show that “Luxembourg wants to take relations with Bangladesh to a new level”.

Nasreen on Thursday said her first task was “precisely to identify a common ground where we could formulate common projects and encourage synergies. This is where I focused my attention during this first year”.

“Being the Honorary Consul of Luxembourg to Bangladesh is quite an inspiring mission,” she said while sharing her experiences so far.

“The two countries know little about each other. Luxembourg is known in Bangladesh as a major financial hub but few would imagine that beyond an image of well-entrenched tradition, Luxembourg is involved in a wide range of forward looking sectors and activities.

“Space is a good illustration since Luxembourg is home of one of the world's leading companies in telecommunications satellite services,” she said.

Nasreen said the potentials of future cooperation is enormous, but higher education is a sector in which she sees opportunities “to further develop Luxembourg’s offer to Bangladesh”.

“There is already a history of positive relationships between Luxembourg and Bangladesh starting in 1972... NGOs and private sector companies have played a leading role in building this relationship."

Now with the newer engagement, she said, “many more of our students will benefit from a university system which is among the world's best, not least in the field of economic and financial management”.

“Connectivity, both physical and digital, and Climate Change, are two sectors of excellence where Luxembourg could certainly make Bangladesh benefit from its experience and expertise beyond already existing interactions.

“These are two pivotal sectors for Bangladesh’s development where Luxembourg can offer a first-class partnership,” the consul general said.

Last year from Oct 15 to Oct 21, she made her first official visit to Luxembourg when she also met the Grand Duke at the Grand Ducal Palace.

She also met her Luxembourg counterpart Thierry Reisch, representatives from the ministry of foreign affairs, economy, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, the university and a number of private businesses, among others.

As an interior designer by profession, she promotes design and 'Made in Bangladesh'. The Duke suggested her to showcase Bangladesh’s unique arts and crafts in Luxembourg to promote the country as a tourism destination.

Luxembourg's English-language magazine Delano interviewed her and ran a story headlined “New perspectives on Bangladesh” where she highlighted Bangladesh’s economic growth and the potential.

“It is really a privilege to be the Honorary Consul General of Luxembourg to Bangladesh at a time when potential for deeper relations is immense,” she told bdnews24.com.

“On this Day (National Day), I wish to share this sentiment and also the confidence that with sincerity and goodwill on both sides, we’ll make things happen," Nasreen said.