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Published : 30 Jan 2023, 06:37 PM
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that Argentina has started the process to reopen an embassy in Dhaka during his counterpart Santiago Cafiero’s trip to the country at the end of February.
The Argentine foreign minister is slated to visit Dhaka on Feb 26 on a two-day trip.
Momen on Monday said if the Argentine government decided to open a mission or a consular in Dhaka, it would be a “bonus”.
Bangladesh entered a diplomatic relationship with Argentina in 1972 and an embassy was set up in Dhaka. But the country shut it down in 1978.
Last year, Argentina decided to reopen an embassy in Bangladesh to advance trade growth and diversify exports.
In the second week of December, Cafeiro held a meeting with Momen in New York with all eyes on the culmination of the FIFA World Cup.
With the reopening of the embassy and its consular section, Argentina “seeks to exploit the potential of the bilateral relationship, mainly in the commercial aspect that has a wide potential for growth, seeking to diversify trade, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.
In 2021, Argentina’s exports to Bangladesh totalled $876 million, a record, generating a trade surplus of $862 million. Soybean oil, flour, corn and wheat exports account for 99 percent of shipments. Imports from Bangladesh were $14 million, mainly clothing items.
After Lionel Messi’s men triumphed in the showcase event on Dec 18, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a letter to Argentina congratulating the country on the victory. In reply, President Alberto Fernández reiterated their commitment to reopening an embassy this year.
Momen later said he invited Cafiero to Dhaka after the New York meeting.
“Following Messi’s victory, I told the minister that ‘the people of Bangladesh love him [Messi] deeply, bring him over and do an event here.’ He agreed to come.”
He highlighted Bangladesh’s ties with Argentina since the Liberation War: “We want a good relationship with Argentina. We had plans to set up a mission there; we already did that in Brazil. We’ll be able to do it in the future, depending on finances.”
