DHAKA, – Romania government has announced donating 200,000 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to Bangladesh. The declaration came while Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen held official talks with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu in Bucharest on Friday, a foreign ministry press release said here.
During the meeting, the two ministers took stock of the various aspects of bilateral ties as well as discussed important regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. This is first official visit to Bucharest at the level of Foreign Minister since the independence of Bangladesh. Both the foreign ministers expressed deep satisfaction over the current progress of bilateral engagements between the two friendly countries. Bangladesh foreign minister put emphasis on the initiatives of the two countries to boost the volume of bilateral trade at the expected level.
He urged the Romanian investors and companies to enter into joint ventures or cent percent owned business ventures in the 100 special economic zones, which are currently being set up in Bangladesh as well as in High-Tech Parks. Dr. Momen also sought support from Romania in questions of GSP facilities in European market.
The two foreign ministers consented on extending cooperation in the areas of education and culture while the possibilities of sending skilled, unskilled manpower from Bangladesh to Romania have also been discussed. Bangladesh foreign minister apprised Bogdan of the latest developments and the measures taken by Bangladesh government for the rehabilitation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
Dr Momen sought the active cooperation of Romania and the international community to ensure the repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland. The Romanian foreign minister praised the efforts taken by Bangladesh towards the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and assured possible assistance of Romania in this regard.
They exchanged opinions and experiences on cooperation in different international and regional fora between Bangladesh and Romania. Bogdan thanked Bangladesh for a robust cooperation in different International organizations. Dr. Momen reiterated the strong admiration of the people of Bangladesh for the Romanian due to the valued support and contribution received from the people of Romania during the Liberation War in 1971.
He invited his counterpart to visit Bangladesh along with a business delegation while his Romanian counterpart accepted the invitation. After the meeting, a memorandum of Understanding on “Foreign Office Consultation” between the two foreign ministries has been signed by the two ministers. At the end of the bilateral official talks, both the foreign ministers took part at a joint press conference.
In the afternoon, Dr Momen visited the University of Politehnica of Bucharest (UPB), the largest Technical University not only in Romania but also in the whole East European region. During his meeting with the Rector, they discussed various aspects of cooperation in the field of education between the two countries.
In presence of Dr. Momen, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bangladesh Embassy in Romania and the University of Polythcnica of Bucharest related to “Promotion of the UPB Excellence Scholarship Program” has been inked by the Rector of the University and the Ambassador of Bangladesh.
This MoU will create opportunities for Bangladeshi students to pursue their higher study in technical field in UPB with the university scholarship. The rector of the university announced four scholarships for Bangladeshi students which will be increased in the coming years. Dr. Momen invited the rector to visit Bangladesh to attend the Peace Conference to be held in Dhaka on 4-6 December next year.
