Netherlands to support Bangladesh's reform agenda: Envoy

The Netherlands is ready to extend technical support for Bangladesh’s Interim Government’s reform agenda, according to the Dutch Ambassador in Dhaka Irma van Dueren.

The assurance was made while the outgoing envoy paid a farewell courtesy call on Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin at the state guest house Padma on Sunday, according to a foreign ministry press release issued Monday.  

During the meeting, the ambassador also expressed Dutch companies’ enhanced interest in the expansion of business ties with Bangladesh, particularly in water, maritime and agriculture sectors.

Both sides touched upon multi-faceted bilateral cooperation between the two countries spanning across areas inter-alia water, agriculture, trade & investment, climate change, defence, and women empowerment.

They also referred to the fruitful bilateral meeting between the Bangladesh Chief Adviser and the Dutch Prime Minister last month in New York on the sidelines of the 79th UNGA.

The Foreign Secretary congratulated the Dutch Ambassador on her successful completion of the tour of duty in Bangladesh while the envoy thanked him for all the support she received from the Bangladesh foreign ministry in discharging her responsibilities.

The courtesy call was followed by a farewell luncheon in honour of the outgoing Ambassador by the Foreign Secretary.

The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps & Ambassador of Morocco, envoys of India, the UK, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Argentina, Spain, Norway, the European Union, France and Egypt, UNDP Resident Representative and Deputy Chief of Mission of Denmark, among others, also joined the farewell lunch.